


Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

by pureeddie



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Ben and Eddie are in poetry club, Ben is a refreshing glass of adorable, Bev and Stan are the almighty Gods of Knowledge, Bev is a grungy binch, Bill and Stan are on the schools baseball team, Bisexual!Bill, Bisexual!Richie, Blonde! Eddie, Blonde-hair fetish?? Is that even a thing omg, College AU, Eddie can be a bit of a hoe, Eventual Smut, M/M, Mike is a ray of sunshine, PennywHO???, Richie and eddie are oblivious, Richie can be a lot of a hoe, Richie has always subconsciously loved Eddie, Richie runs the campus' radio station with Bev and Mike, Slowish burn? ', Whipped! Richie, eddie has a crush on richie, gay!eddie, gay!stan, reddie-centric, set in 1993
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2019-07-29 20:31:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16271801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pureeddie/pseuds/pureeddie
Summary: The year is 1993. The Loser's are in their first year of college and things change, for better or for worse.AKA:Eddie dyes his hair blonde and Richie is whipped.





	1. Don't Know How You Do The Voodoo That You Do

**Aloha!**

**This is a piece I've thought about for a while, but didn't have time to write... so here it is! I intend this story to have smut so beware! I also like to do songs for each chapter, whether you like some theme music for a story or not is your call ;)  THIS TAKES PLACE IN THE 90'S SO GET READY FOR SOME SICK 90S REFERENCES + all the chapters songs will be from the 90s <3 Without further to do, thank you for taking time to read it! Chapters will get longer as I deepen the story !!!!**  


**SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Shoop by Salt N Pepa**

* * *

 

The year was 1993 when Richie marked the world’s end, and it’s all Eddie’s fault.

 

Eddie was one of Richie’s best friends since kindergarten. 

 

He was a bro, honestly. Eddie was a dork, it was well known, Richie loved him nonetheless. They were all dorks, all the losers, in their own ways. Out of everyone, Richie knew some of them would grow out of certain things. 

 

Bill would grow out of his stutter just like Stan would grow out of his khakis. It happened, they both grew out of those things. 

 

Bill’s speech is as stutter-free as Eddie’s, and Stan’s been wearing jeans since the middle of High School. He knew they would change, they showed signs of progression very early on, just like Richie. Richie grew out of his glasses and preferred contacts. 

 

It didn’t stop him from wearing them sometimes, though. Just like slip-ups didn’t stop Bill from stumbling over his words in front of pretty people and Stan wearing his khakis ‘on laundry day’. It was inevitable to change, yet it was inevitable to sometimes go back to what you’ve always known. 

 

Except Eddie didn’t change, even in his senior year. Not at all. 

 

Eddie always had pants from Target and button-up collared shirts from JcPenny.

 

Eddie had dark, brunette hair that was gelled into a nerdy upwards sweep. 

 

Eddie had perfectly manicured nails, always fresh and clean from a travel-sized hand sanitizer. 

 

Eddie was clean and tidy, like a good mama’s boy should be. 

 

Eddie was predictable.

 

And Eddie wasn’t ever late to anything, except today. 

 

Today was the first day of college, no less.  What a perfect day for change, right?

 

Eddie was the last one to move onto campus, which surprised Richie because Eddie always wanted to make sure he had enough time to be prepared. 

 

Just this summer, he made the losers go to a 12:00 am showing of  Jurassic Park at 11:10 pm because he “Wanted to make sure they’d make it,”. And him being not early to his first class? Universally shocking.

 

 Richie, Stan, and Eddie all had their first class together, and it was reported, by Bill Denbrough himself, that Eddie wanted to meet by the library by 9:00 am, given their class started at 9:30 am. 

 

They all complied, and here they were. Richie had shown up at 9:06 am, knowing that being fashionably late to Eddie’s specific time would rile the shorter boy up a bit.

 

But when Richie strolled over to the Library, the only two standing in front was a chatty Bill and a calm Stan. It was now 9:10 am, and Richie was becoming worried, Eddie had never been late in his life. Maybe something was wrong? 

 

“We have 20 minutes to get to class, and I know that’s a reasonable amount of time, but Eddie should’ve been here ten minutes ago, Bill. You really don’t know where he is?” Stan inquired, raising a brow as the morning sun of August beat down on them. 

 

“I swear, he told me this morning he’d be here. He was up this morning before I was!” Bill defended, putting his hands up like someone had pointed a gun at him.

 

Richie sighed and leaned back on the bench they’d sat at, looking around for any signs of the Kaspbrak boy. 

 

“Well, I hope he’s alright, Eddie is never late,” Stan continued his worry, crossing his legs to stop them from bouncing. Bill leaned forward on his knees to look the opposite way Richie was looking. 

 

“I hope he’s alright, too. Gee, I shoulda waited for him and walked together,” Bill guilted himself, shaking his head at seeing only random students walking around campus and no sight of Eddie. 

 

“Well, keep on the lookout for a short brunette boy in a button down,” Richie laughed, knocking his elbow into Stan, who was regretting not letting Bill sit in the middle instead. 

 

Bill’s brow furrowed in thought, before looking at Richie strangely. 

 

“Rich, have you seen Eddie since he came up here a few days ago?” 

 

The question Bill asked was strange, but casual enough that Richie paid no mind to it. 

 

“Nope,” Richie responded, with the pop of the ‘p’. 

 

“I was unpacking with Stan, and Eddie only got here, like, two days ago,” Richie shrugged, pulling his backpack closer to his chest. 

 

“Why’d ya ask?” Richie questioned Bill’s curiosity, but before Bill could answer, Stan let out a huff of air. 

 

“Finally,” He breathed, standing up from the bench. Richie let the question go unanswered because Stan must’ve seen Eddie. He looked towards Stan’s line of vision and stood up as well.  

 

His eyes scanned the crowd for Eddie: short, dark hair, big brown eyes, tan face. 

 

When Richie eventually found that said tan face and brown eyes, he was floored. 

 

He felt everything slow down like he was seeing Eddie for the very first time. 

Eddie was dressed in white jean shorts and a purple t-shirt with a blue stripe across the chest. He had on his old white converses, which was one of the only things that didn’t physically change. 

 

Richie’s heart was beating out of his chest when Eddie made eye-contact with him. Eddie was still the same Eddie he had been this past summer, but he  _ changed _ . 

 

His clothes were one thing, but my God, _ Eddie was blonde _ . 

 

Not only was it different, Richie couldn’t help but think that Eddie looked… good.

Good as in attractive. This was something entirely new to Richie because, yes, Eddie was good-looking and sometimes Richie felt the urge to kiss him; but Richie never felt this aware of the urge.  

 

“Just because you changed your style doesn’t mean you can change yourself, asshole. We were getting worried,” Richie heard Stan say to a very enthusiastic-looking Eddie. 

 

“I know! I am sorry, Stanny, I left at 8:45. But once I walked out the door of our building, I realized I’d left my textbooks upstairs,” Eddie was finally front and center in Richie’s view, not even a foot away. 

 

“No worries, Eddie, we still have about 20 minutes. Coffee, anyone?” Bill reassured Eddie and turned to look smugly at a reluctant-to-agree Stan. Bill gestured towards the library, which had Starbucks in the right wing of the first floor.

 

“Short, sweet, and to the point. Bill, I’d marry you if you asked,” Stan said gratefully, causing Bill to let out a laugh. 

 

Short and sweet, just like Eddie. 

 

And, man, was Eddie looking extra sweet nowadays. 

 

“Hey, Rich, excited for our first year?” Eddie perked up, turning on his toes to meet Richie’s eyes as they followed Stan and Bill through the doors of the Library. 

 

Richie realized Eddie had new piercings, pretty purple gems in first holes and diamond ones in his second holes. Since when did Eddie even have earrings at all? 

 

“Uh, yeah! Yeah, excited as I’ll ever be,” Richie responded lamely, not really focusing on school since he saw the sparkly earrings Eddie was wearing. Eddie seemed content enough with his answer, so they kept quiet until they got to their destination. 

 

They entered the Starbucks and ordered their drinks, before sitting down at a booth that they’d likely sit at for the rest of their school days.

 

They were creatures of habit, all of the Losers. They liked the things they were comfortable with, so they always went back to the same seats at lunch, the same spot at the Quarry, and now their new spot in this Starbucks. 

 

Humans were creatures of habit by nature, and Richie thought that to be one of the truest philosophies. However, he wasn’t too sure if the quote held true anymore, and it’s all Eddie’s fault. 

 

“So, Stan, I bought, like, every color of highlighter I could find at the bookstore. I thought you’d be interested in them when we have study sessions together,” Eddie spoke first once they were sitting, smiling excitedly and wiggling in his seat towards Stan. Stan’s eyes widened as he finished sipping on his iced black coffee. 

 

“How many colors? Oh, can you imagine it? The beautiful organization via color,” Stan sighed dreamily, leaning on his hand. 

 

“All the colors of the rainbow,” Eddie winked towards Stan, before taking a sip of his own drink. 

 

As the conversation continued, Richie seemed unable to focus on any of the words. He was too busy sitting across the way from Eddie, who looked heavenly in the light shining from the window. His blonde hair was a pretty and pale blonde, reminding Richie of a similar-colored butterfly he saw once while accompanying Stan on a birdwatching session. 

 

Richie caught a glimmer on Eddie’s lips, something that reminded Richie of Bev. It wasn’t until Richie narrowed his eyes in on Eddie’s mouth that he saw that Eddie Kaspbrak was fucking wearing lipgloss. 

 

Jesus, Richie’s mind raced with millions of thoughts, half of them being dirty ones. 

 

“What about you, Richie? Do you think they’ll suck?” Bill asked, looking to his right to see a flustered Richie, trying to gather the information he missed. 

 

Suck? Richie was trying not to think about something so obscene, especially when the word itself made Eddie’s gleaming lips flash into his mind. 

 

“Do I think what will suck?” 

 

“Geology? The class we are going to in about 13 minutes,” Bill quirked a brow at Richie, who silently shrugged before taking another sip of his drink. 

 

“Speaking of, we should head out. Don’t wanna be late the first day,” Stan inquired, furrowing his brow at the black watch he always wore on his left wrist. They all gathered their things and were off to find their first class. 

 

On the way there, Richie trailed behind the other three, watching them all interact before reaching their destination. Specifically Eddie, which Richie wished he was consciously doing. 

 

And once they got to class, he hated himself even more. 

He wished he didn’t see the curves of Eddie’s hair differently because it was blonde, even though it was styled the same when he was brunette. 

 

He wished he didn’t notice Eddie was wearing that cute silver ring on his thumb while watching him tap a pencil in class.

 

He wished he didn’t pick the seat diagonally behind Eddie on purpose, knowing that every time they had class together, that Richie’s eyes would likely fall upon the blonde boy. 

 

Richie was confused, sure. Eddie was someone he’d grab by the neck and mess up his hair. Now, Eddie seemed untouchable. Richie could go near Eddie for the life of him and it seriously confused Richie why so. 

 

Why was it suddenly different? Why couldn’t Richie just get back into the groove of pissing Eddie off on purpose and playfully flirt with him? 

 

Richie wished he didn’t know the answer to those questions. He really wished it.

 

But he knew why, almost to a T. 

 

Richie, like the moron he knew he was, formed a crush on Eddie within seconds of seeing him. 

 

Richie could only hope it was a mistake, that it was only because Eddie looked intimidating. He hoped it would wash away once he realized Eddie was still the same, old Eddie from High School. 

 

But sometimes hope isn’t enough. 

 

 


	2. You know I'm such a Fool for You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie realizes his schoolboy crush on Eddie is beginning to go further then he expected. 
> 
> SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Linger by The Cranberries
> 
> ALL SONGS MENTIONED:  
> Check the Rhime by A Tribe Called Quest  
> 'I hate myself for loving you'- Joan Jett & The Blackhearts  
> 'There she goes' by The La's

* * *

 

By the end of their first week, the Losers were supposed to meet up in Ben and Mike’s room, for a movie night. VCR’s were hard to bring to college, but Ben managed to get one with some summer money saved up.

The movie they were gonna watch was A League of Their Own, picked out by Ben himself. He’d driven up to the Blockbuster downtown and rented it out for the week. Everyone wanted to see the movie since it was out already for a good year.

When Richie arrived at the dorm, everyone else was already there. Once everyone shouted a greeting, they turned back to the conversation that had already been going on.

That’s when Richie saw him.  
Eddie was sitting on the couch, legs pulled up to his chest. He was wearing one of his short-shorts, and Richie could see places of Eddie he tried to block out of his mind. The second his eyes landed there, he tore them away just as fast.

“Jeez, Ed’s, what are you wearing, a cheerleaders uniform?” Richie joked as he fell down to sit next to Eddie on the couch.

“Why do you say that?” Eddie asked, looking down at his clothes.

“Your shorts are shorter than your patience,” Richie laughed nervously, unsure if it was weird that he had even brought it up in the first place.

To Richie’s surprise, Eddie laughed.

“Shut up, Richie, you know I look cute,” Eddie stuck out his tongue, before looking back over to Bill and Ben’s conversation about Tom Hanks.

Richie continued to stare at Eddie in amazement because, yes, Richie did know Eddie looked cute.

Richie didn’t know, however, why Eddie was so calm towards Richie’s lame excuses of conversation. Eddie usually fights Richie's fire with fire, but recently he's been sizzling Richie out with cold, refreshing water.

“Let’s get this party started!” Bev hollered excitedly, as the rest came to gather around Richie and Eddie on the couch. Mike popped in the VHS Tape and was greeted by the screen’s bright colors.

Somewhere during the movie, Richie felt a weight on his shoulder. It was Eddie’s head, much to Richie’s dismay. Not that Richie disliked it or minded, it was more of the fact that his heart was suddenly beating straight out of his chest as his eyes bored straight at the T.V.  
Eddie had surely fallen asleep since Eddie never usually rested his head upon Richie while being awake. But, Richie wasn’t so sure about anything Eddie did anymore.

He looked down a bit to only see soft looking pale-yellow hair and the tip of Eddie’s curved nose. He felt a rush of excitement run through him, having Eddie choose to rest against him instead of Bev who sat on the other side of Eddie. It was a nice change.

And, boy, was Eddie changing, from left to right, everything Richie had ever known. It made Richie quite confused since he hasn’t really felt this stuttering in his heart before recent events involving Eddie.

He smiled at the screen when he heard a small snore come from Eddie, and he felt more relaxed knowing Eddie was asleep. It sparked something in Richie, the way Eddie had nuzzled his way from his shoulder and nearly falling down on Richie’s chest in oblivious slumber.

He must look so pretty right now, Richie could only think, as he watched Madonna up at bat on the Television screen.

When the movie came to a close, Richie didn’t have the heart to wake Eddie up, even though the Losers all moved onto a casual conversation about the past week of classes.

“I think we made the team, what about you?” Bill turned and asked Stan, who was crisscrossed on the floor below Richie’s legs.

“Wait, you tried out? I knew it would be good for you,” Ben commented, giving Stan a pat on the shoulder, causing Stan to let a grin slip.

“Yeah, I was nervous, but I think we did pretty good,” Stan explained, looking back at Ben and Bill.

“I just hope we get uniforms that actually fit us. The ones at Derry High were way too big,” Bill grumbled, rolling his eyes from remembering the hand-me-down Orange uniforms they once wore when they were on their high school team.

“I think this place has more funds, so I would think we got new uniforms,” Stan reassured Bill, who still was glaring into the past.

“What about you, Richie, did you guys go see the school requesting a form for a radio station?” Stan twisted around to look behind him and up at Richie, who was wide-eyed and alert. Stan briefly looked at Eddie, who was still dead asleep on Richie’s shoulder, before focusing back on Richie.

“Yeah, me and Mike went in to submit a form on Wednesday. I think we find out if I was approved this upcoming Monday,” Richie nodded slowly as Bev perked up at the mention of the show.

“I’m sorry again I couldn’t go with you guys! I had class at that time,” Bev frowned at Mike and Richie before Mike smiled and let out a chuckle.

“Bev, you had class. That’s way more important. We wrote your name for you as you asked. Don’t worry about it,” He put an arm out to give Bev a fist pound, which caused her to grin widely and pound him back.

“Thanks! I appreciate it a ton! Hopefully soon this school will have some bangin’ tunes instead of just that classical station,” She huffed out, raising her eyebrows at the very thought of no musical diversity.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to hear you’re crazy taste in music blaring through every radio on campus,” Bill laughed, hitting Mike’s knee playfully.

“Oh yes, the holy day when No Doubt plays religiously on a continuous loop,” Stan held his arms up as if to God, earning a pillow being thrown at him from Bev. They all laughed, including Richie, which made Eddie suddenly stir out his sleep and sit upright so quick Richie was sure he was gonna have whiplash.

“Woah, Eddie, were you falling off a cliff in your dream or somethin’?” Ben chuckled out, a disorientated Eddie finding where his voice was coming from to give a warm lopsided smile.

“What? No, I just realized I missed a lot of the movie,” His voice sounded tired like he could go back to sleep at any moment. Richie swallowed down his laughter, as Eddie stretched his arms out and yawned. Mike yawned from just looking at Eddie do it, and the sound made Stan yawn, too.

“Damnit, Mike-” Stan cursed before breaking into what seemed to be a contagious yawn. Eddie giggled at how wide Stan’s mouth got.

“Hey, I’m just the messenger, blame the source,” Mike cracked up as he pointed at Eddie. Moments like this made Richie feel like they were back in High School, laying next to the Quarry, just fooling around.

Richie was glad that this was one thing that didn’t change. The Losers were his everything.

Eddie sheepishly looked over at Richie, who awkwardly averted his gaze from the blonde boy’s big brown eyes, remembering how only moments ago, his head had rested upon his shoulder.

Richie wouldn’t admit it aloud, but he was scared.  
This little crush was getting out of hand, it was enough that he was attracted to Eddie. It was already Strike one.

He intended to stop these feelings before they grew into something more serious, he didn’t need any more strikes. Stepping up to plate was already a mistake in Richie’s book.

Strike two happened on the following Monday.

Richie, Mike, and Bev got approved for the radio station slot they wanted. They were told that their times were every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7 PM until 10 PM. They were all ecstatic, especially knowing they got a whole 3 hours on air three days of the week.

Stan and Bill got on the Baseball team, known as the Maine Black Bears. It was a major step for Bill, who came into University undeclared. Maybe this could lead him to become a Major League player since he wasn’t too sure what to major in.

Stan already chose the Accounting major available at their school and saw Baseball as a hobby rather than a life decision. Nonetheless, they were both thrilled to be accepted on the team.

Ben and Eddie were the only two that didn’t have an extracurricular commitment, which led them to team up to find one together.

It was a big day for all the Losers in the sense that they were finally kicking off the start of a new era. They didn’t have to worry about Bowers or his gang since none of them even got accepted to Colleges.

Mike offered that they named their radio show “The Trippy Trio”, which Richie and Bev wholeheartedly loved. The station was 94.7, and the others promised to always tune in whenever possible.

The Tricky Trio was offered to start that very Monday, which of course they couldn’t refuse. They were all too giddy with the chance to just relax and give the world some good music to listen to. Or, at least their college peers.

It was about 6:57 PM when Richie sat down in the wheely chair set up in the radio room. Since they were the last station to play every night they were assigned, they were meant to lock up the station as well. Riddled with responsibilities, Richie was determined to make sure everything went smoothly.

“Alrightee. Mikey, Bevvy? Ready to rock this shit?” Richie huffed out, glancing at the clock that that read 6:59 PM.

“I was born ready,” Mike grinned, as they all placed their headsets on. Beverly winked at the two before hovering her finger over the button.

“Richie, you end the speal and Mike will spin the first track,” Bev organized, and it made Mike fist-pump into the air.

“Yes! First choice on our first show. I gotcha,” Mike said, pulling different albums and searching for the perfect song.

Bev looked at the clock as it struck 7 PM, before looking over at Richie and Mike. They both nodded as Mike gestured to the chosen track, reassuring they were all set.

Bev pressed the button.

“Hello and welcome to all you sexy cats and dogs out there listening tonight. This station is 94.7 and we are ‘The Trippy Trio’. I’m Bev,”  
“I’m Mike,”  
“And I’m Richie. Thanks for tuning into the coolest radio station in Maine. I hope all you cuties had a hella good first week of school. Today is Monday, September 6th, 1993 for all you dazed and confused fellas wonderin’ out there. The time is 7:00 PM and the weather is a hot temperature of 86 degrees. Without further to do, strap in, kitties, ‘cause we're about to take a ride into the magical world of music,” Richie pressed the button and nodded at Mike, who pressed play.

‘Check the Rhime’ by A Tribe Called Quest started not even a second later, and the three removed their headphones. Beverly had a grin so big Richie was sure it must hurt.

“‘Strap in Kitties?’” She laughed at him, and he purred at her to complete the idea.

“And you! Fuckin’ great pick, Mikey!” Beverly enthused, rolling back and forth in her chair in excitement.  
  
“Honestly, Mike, this is a great choice,” Richie smirked, looking over Mike’s arms to look at the Album cover.

Mike gave them a raised-eyebrow smile before shrugging, “What can I say, I'm a people pleaser,”

~~~

As Richie was doing the closing words, Stan, Bill, Ben, and Eddie all sat together in Stan and Richie’s dorm room, listening in.

Richie’s voice sounded over the radio placed on Stan’s desk, as they all sat in a circle.

“Without further to do, strap in kitties, ‘cause we’re about to take a ride into the magical world of music,”

Stan’s mouth fell open as Bill cackled.  
Ben shook his head with a smile and Eddie felt his eyes roll lovingly.

“Kitties? What in God’s name,” Bill wheezed out.

“Dude, he’s crazy,” Bill continued as he hit Ben’s shoulder, still trying to breathe through his laughter.

Ben shook his head and looked around the circle,  
“That’s our Richie,”  
Then the song started. It made Ben and Bill groan as Eddie laughed at the situation playing out.  
  
Stan stood up, his hands raised in the air, “Yes! I knew Mike would pick first. You three owe me a coffee,” Stan smirked, as he walked over to his closet, retrieving his bookbag.

“I was almost sure Richie would choose first since he spoke last,” Bill was still in shock at losing the bet. Ben agreed, nodding along with Bill’s analysis.

“I thought Ladies were first and Bev would’ve,” Eddie said as he placed a hand on his chin in thought, before sighing through a smile in defeat.

Stan sat back on the floor, bag in hand, still wearing a smirk.

“Well, Richie got the last word and Bev got the first word. So, Mike deserves to be iconic and play the first song. Which is, by the way, very enjoyable,” Stan pointed a pen at the others, relishing in his successful bet.

A few hours later, it was nearly 9:50 PM. Stan had finished all his homework by 9 PM, so he was laying on his back, just listening to the current song that played through the radio above them.

The song was ‘There She Goes’ by The La’s. Bill and Ben were discussing whether Richie or Bev chose the song. Eddie was tapping his foot along to the beat, as his mind wandered to Richie. He wondered if Richie noticed him more recently. Eddie would eventually get the Tozier man to finally look his way.

“And that was the ever-so-lovely song ‘There She Goes’ by The La’s. Our time with you is running out, so I’d like to end the night with a big bang. This is dedicated to all of you that just can’t get that special someone outta their mind. We’re gonna throw it back to the 80’s with this one,” Richie's voice halted as ‘I Hate Myself For Loving You,’ by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts filled Stan’s otherwise quiet room.

Simultaneously, Bill, Stan, and Ben said “Richie’s choice,” before going into a laughing fit at their perfect timing. While the other three boys rolled around and discussed all the choices of the night, Eddie’s eyes were wide with the accuracy of the song.

Joan Jett really knew how he felt, in that very moment, “I think of you every night and day. You took my heart and you took my pride away,” was sung into the air, Eddie felt the odd sense that it was the universe telling him that it understood.

Eddie’s liked Richie since Middle School, and it’s only gotten stronger over the years. It was almost perfectly placed, that this was the last song and this was Eddie’s last chance to get Richie. College might’ve just started, but it was the last chance to make Richie his boyfriend before Richie ventured out into the vast world of pretty girls and boys after graduation.

As the song came to a close, the guitar was still playing as Mike’s voice spoke.

“That was rockin’ Joan Jett and the Blackhearts with ‘I Hate Myself For Loving You’ to close. Thank you to all that tuned in, this is ‘The Trippy Trio’ on station 94.7. We wish you a groovy night. I’m Mike,”  
“I’m Richie,”  
“And I’m Bev. ‘Trippy Trio’ Signing off,” Anyone listening close enough could hear the sheer exhilaration in Bev’s voice.

“That’s my girl!” Ben hollered proudly, causing Bill and Stan to also whoop for Beverly, though she couldn’t hear. Eddie let himself break into a grin as he clapped and cheered alongside them.

~~  
Beverly pressed the button to shut off the mics and grabbed the headgear by the ears to pull off.

“We did amazing! No, better than amazing. We did fucking fantastic!” Beverly jumped up and down as her chair was pushed behind her. She ran into Mike’s arm for a celebratory hug, who lifted her with an equal amount of energy, before rushing to Richie as well.

They made their way back to Richie and Stan’s dorm, knowing the others were there waiting.

“Trippy Trio! Aye!” The three were greeted by the other four as the door opened. Ben went to hug and kiss Bev congratulations.

“Good goin’ calling all your listeners ‘kitties’,” Bill chuckled as he brought Richie in for a tight hug, patting his back.

“I said the same thing!” Bev exclaimed as Ben hugged Mike.

“You’re ridiculous Richie,” Stan said to Richie before also greeting him with an embrace.

“That first track was awesome, though, Mike,” Stan said over Richie’s shoulder, as he moved to greet Mike as well.

“Thanks, that group is just too good not to play,” Mike bashfully responded.

“Hey, did you guys get spots on the team?” Bev questioned, biting back a grin in anticipation.

“Yeah! We both did,” Bill answered, gesturing towards Stan.

“Wow, I’m so damn proud of you guys,” Mike beamed, looking at the two boys.

“Holy shit, look at Uris and Denbrough go!” Richie congratulated Stan and Bill, who were both coyly smiling.

“It was easy, just a few catches and hits, and we were in,” Bill brushed it off like it wasn’t anything big.

“Not just anybody has the skills and coordination for that,” Ben told Bill, making sure they knew that they accomplished something amazing.

“Well, my dad will be glad to hear it,” Bill answered, looking over at Eddie, who was currently hugging Bev and Mike on their show.

“Before you guys came in, Eddie was telling us about how he and Ben are joining the Poetry club,” Bill explained, as Ben smiled Eddie’s way.

“Eddie suggested it. He saw the flyer at the Campus center and thought I’d be interested. So, I asked if he would want to go, too. He said yes, “ Ben remembered thoughtfully, as Ben was pulled into a side-hug from Bev.

“Look at all my boys, flourishing in College,” She gushed in a baby-voice, pecking Ben’s cheek in the process.

Richie looked at Eddie for the first time since entering his room. Not just glanced, but really looked.

His blonde hair wasn’t gelled up, in fact, it was starting to curl in certain places Richie’s only ever seen when Eddie was drying off from swimming in the Quarry.

He had a pink T-shirt that read ‘Not your baby’ on it in curvy red writing. His legs were exposed from red jean-shorts and he sported white socks with red hearts littered all over them, coming up to his calves.

He looked really good.

Richie took note that, while Eddie talked and wasn’t paying attention to him, he had lip gloss on again.

Every time Richie recently sees him, it feels like the first time that they’re meeting. He wanted to roll his eyes smugly at Eddie’s shirt and tell him that Eddie could be his baby if he wanted.

  
He wanted to smear Eddie’s lip gloss with his own mouth and kiss the shorter boy feverishly. He wanted to run his hands into that Heaven-sent blonde hair, which was probably just as soft as it looked.

And when Eddie’s eyes landed on him, just to merely smile, Richie knew in an instant that this was Strike 2.


	3. It's driving me outta my mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie meets a new friend, but nothing can distract him from his ever-growing crush on Eddie. 
> 
> SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Poison by Bell Biv DeVoe

* * *

 

It was the third week of classes when Richie began to slowly break down. He was doing good in all his classes so far and having a grand ol’ time at the Radio Station. What Richie was failing to do was push away his growing feelings for Eddie.

 

Just this morning, around 4 AM, he’d woken up sweaty and disoriented, with an unpleasant but familiar sticky wetness in his boxers. He was just grateful Stan didn’t wake up, for Richie was known to be a regular sleep talker. 

 

Now, he was walking from his third class and back to his dorms, since it was a Tuesday, he didn’t have to worry about coming back outside. He had his clunky Sony headphones on, drowning out his current situation with a song from Radiohead. 

 

He loves working at the radio station, but he needed to cool off from this strange build up of emotions. He could just go back to his room and sulk in the sheer beauty that was Eddie. It wasn’t until he was touched on the shoulder that he slipped back into reality. 

 

He swerved around, justs to see a flash of blonde hair. His heart was malfunctioning at the mere sight of the color, thinking it was Eddie. But when he settled on the shoulder-tappers face, it wasn’t. It was someone he didn’t know. 

 

“Hey, Richie,” The shoulder-tapper’s voice was boyish, for lack of a better term. He waved as if he was just passing by, but that didn’t seem to be the case. He looked like he wanted to talk since he had stopped Richie from walking. 

 

Richie blinked, still not recognizing who the hell this kid was. 

 

He had very light hazel eyes and pale skin. He was tall enough to look Richie straight in the eyes. His hair was ashy dirty-blonde color. It was darker than Eddie’s own hair, but it seemed to be natural since his eyebrows matched. He had a look on his face as if Richie should know who he was, but still, even through close observation, Richie came up short.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” Richie slowly took off his headset as the boy laughed, for some reason. Maybe it was because the blonde was nervous. Or maybe he was trying to make up for Richie’s awkwardness. Richie couldn’t quite pin it.

“I’m in Visual Arts with you. I sit way in the front, so you probably don’t know me,” Richie recalls looking down there a few times, mindlessly thinking about Eddie because he would see Blonde hair. That must be him.

The boy held out his hand, looking at Richie with an almost starstruck gaze.

“My name’s Daniel,” He held out a pale hand that Richie took, his hand was not that smaller than his own. His hand wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm either.

“I just wanted to tell you how much I love Trippy Trio. You guys rock,” Daniel shyly smiled at Richie with the same look he had on earlier. Realization hit Richie like a truck, piecing together why this Daniel kid wanted to talk. Not only was he Richie’s classmate, but he was also one of their listeners. 

“Oh, wow! Thanks, Daniel. You like our music, huh?” Richie smirked back, pulling his messenger bag up higher on his shoulder. Daniel shifted his feet before coyly nodding. 

 

“I listen to you nearly every time you guys are on air,” He admitted, rolling his eyes at himself, Richie presumed. It shouldn’t have, but it shocked Richie for some reason. Not only did Daniel like the show, but he also tuned in every day they aired. Richie must’ve looked surprised, his mouth ajar and his eyes wider than before. Daniel chuckled a bit, gaining Richie’s attention once again. 

 

“I know it sounds weird since technically we just met, but I actually wanted to ask you something,” Daniel’s boyish tone reminded Richie, in a way, of Bill. It was soft enough not to be crazy masculine but masculine enough to not seem feminine. 

 

It was a strange thing to notice, but it was something Richie was fond of. So he gave Daniel a small smile as he waited for the other to say what he needed to say. 

 

When Daniel looked away from Richie’s face and down at his shoes, Richie helped him out by doing what he does best: Talk.

 

“What’s the matter, Danny-boy? Need the notes for class or somethin’?” Richie joked, causing Daniel to let out a short-lived laugh. 

 

“No, actually. I wanted to know if you were busy this weekend. There’s this party my friend is hosting and I thought maybe you’d wanna go with me?” Richie’s brain short-circuited at the very question. Daniel was asking him out. 

 

“A party?” Was all Richie could say, still working through whether if this was a good idea or not. 

 

“Yeah, I know it’s really out of nowhere and all since you just learned my name and everything…” Daniel trailed off as if he also had a lot on his mind. Like he was also unsure about the whole ‘going out’ thing. 

 

He should be unsure because Richie wasn’t really looking to be someone’s boyfriend at the moment. 

 

He was currently struggling to stay afloat in his friend group, trying to keep everyone unaware of how he was drowning in the beauty of Eddie. 

 

“...but, you’re really hot and I wanted to know if we could hook up,” Daniel finally let out, looking nervous in his eyes, but baring a sort of confidence Richie found relatable. 

 

It was the kind that said ‘might as well do this since I’ll never know if I don’t’ type of thing. Richie is very familiar with the ‘Fake-it-til-you-make-it’ confidence.

 

Even though it was admirable, Richie couldn’t say yes to Daniel. There was no way in hell since he was busily tangled up in his feelings. It wouldn’t work. 

 

But suddenly, Richie felt an epiphany come into play, causing himself to lift a brow at the very thing. Or maybe it could work. 

 

“You want to hook up with me?”

“Yes,” 

“No dating or anything?”

“Nope,”

 

Daniel was looking straight into his soul, with hazel eyes so serious it made Richie shiver at the thought of Stan. It almost caused Richie to bubble out laughter, the thought of Stan looking so serious about hooking up. Stan is boyfriend material, he’s too pure for one-night-stands. Richie, on the other hand, had been having them since high school. Richie may take this opportunity to unwind.  

 

“Hmm. When’s the party?”

“Saturday at 10 PM,”

Richie pursed his lips at Daniel, whose eyes flickered down to them in return. It caused Richie to heat up in his ears, being looked at shamelessly. 

He didn’t think anything was happening that night, so he might as well experience College to the fullest. 

 

“Can I call you Danny?” 

“Can I call you Daddy?” 

 

Richie felt like the air in his lungs were punched straight out of him. He wasn’t expecting Daniel to carry any sass under his attitude belt. But there they were, staring at each other like they were ready for the other to pounce.

 

Richie was surprised, for a lack of a better word. He knew, looking at the cute guy in front of him, that Saturday would be one hell of a ride. Richie suddenly recalled that the last time he had fucked anyone was in the middle of their Senior year. It was nearly a year since Richie released tensions, and they were worsened by Richie’s recent little crush on a certain Blonde boy. 

 

Not Daniel, however. 

No, it was all thanks to none other than Eddie. 

 

“I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll meet you in front of the Library at 9:45 PM,” Richie voiced, feeling himself getting worked up already. 

 

He needs to get away from this kid before Richie’s tempted to get to know him a little more. Daniel’s eyes shined in hope, a smile on his pale face. 

 

“Holy shit, great! Um, don’t wear anything fancy. What you’re wearing now would be good enough,” He explained, giving Richie a look-over, biting his lip in the process. 

Richie felt the heat again, clearing his throat to find his pride somewhere since he clearly was losing it. 

 

“Gotcha. Well, Daniel from ART 101, I’ll see you Saturday,” Richie slowly backed away, a calm grin on his face, even though Richie was feeling anything but calm. 

 

Daniel released the hold his teeth had on his own lip, before nodding back. 

 

“See you, Richie from Trippy Trio,” Daniel also began to walk backward, giving Richie one last smile, before turning around to walk the opposite way. 

 

Richie will go to Hell one day, so he might as well admit that he quickly looked at Daniel’s ass before reaching back to his headphones and put them over his ears again. 

 

He never stopped his music, so the mixtape kept on playing through the list. Radiohead was no longer playing in his ears. 

 

Now Debarge, a band from the early 80’s, was blasting. He listened to the lyrics of the song in deep thought, feeling the heat of the sun on his arms as he walked towards his dorm building. 

 

Even though literally only 2 minutes ago he created a sex-appointment with Daniel, Eddie flooded into his mind once again. 

 

All of Eddie. The way his eyes bore up into Richie’s. The way his posture curves to his bottom. The way his Blonde hair looks without being gelled down. The way his nose curves and welcomes all the freckles that live on that bridge. His thighs, sweet looking and thick like honey, no matter what pants he wears. The softness of his snores. The vibrancy in his voice. How his thick eyebrows knit together in thought whenever they study together. The way he falls asleep on Richie’s shoulder. 

 

Richie was already in the stairwell, making his way up to the 4th floor, his own.

 

Eddie. 

 

Eddie Kaspbrak. 

 

The very name set a fire in Richie's chest, a jolting spark at the very thought. 

 

Funny enough, when walking to his and Stan’s door, he looked at the door a few feet away to spot Blonde hair. 

 

He nearly stumbled to a stop, as his line of vision connected with Eddie’s. 

 

Fuck. 

 

“Hey, Chee, are you busy?” Eddie asked as he got up from his spot on the floor in front of the door. The nickname caused Richie’s heart to skip a beat, making his fingertips tingle and nearly go numb. 

 

Finally standing in front of Eddie, Richie let out a breathy laugh looking down at the other. 

  
“No, I’m free. Why?” 

“Just wanted to hang out,”

Richie nodded towards the door, reaching up to its keycode, 

Eddie’s gaze followed Richie’s hand, looking at the nimble fingers that ghosted the key-pad. 

 

“Our code is 23513. Next time you wanna come over, just go inside. I don’t want you sitting on the floor. It’s dirty,” Richie thoughtfully offered, waltzing into his empty dorm room. Stan must be with Bill at Baseball practice.

 

“Thanks, I’ll totally forget those numbers though,” Eddie joked, trailing behind Richie once he shut the door. Eddie followed Richie through the living room and into his room. Richie kicked the door closed once Eddie jumped onto his bed. 

 

“Maybe I’ll write it on your arm in ink, think you’ll remember then?” Richie slides down into his desk chair, swiveling the wheels back and forth, looking over at Eddie who was crisscrossed on his sheets. 

 

Richie noticed that Eddie’s eye-lids were shimmering a dusty pink color. It looked pretty with his brown eyes, his blonde hair curling above it. 

 

“Stan and Bill have a game this Saturday. I mean, you probably already know that it’s just really cool that they get to play and we get to watch, ya know? Kinda like High School all over again,” Eddie smiled, wrapping his hands around his own ankles, looking hopefully back at Richie. 

  
  


Fuck. Richie forgot all about the game, to be frank, Stan didn’t mention it.

 

But Bill had, one morning at Starbucks. 

 

Richie was royally screwed, he was hoping to keep his little Saturday night hook-up a secret. 

 

However now, Richie couldn’t miss the game without a reason. He needed to either ditch Daniel and watch his boys play, or make an excuse and go party. 

 

Richie knew the moral thing to do, and almost instantly he was about to tell Eddie that, yes, he’d be attending the game for sure. 

 

The only thing that stopped him was all the sexual tension he felt the need to release. He felt guilty for it, but he wanted to meet Daniel and kick it. He needed it, very badly.

 

“Yeah, just like high school,” Richie murmured, thinking about all the times he dipped on the gang to fuck someone. 

 

He made sure they didn’t know he was having sex or at least tried to hide it. Though word travels fast and Bev is too good at reading him. 

 

Eddie’s thick eyebrows tensed together, as he watched Richie’s own expression deepen with guilt. 

 

“You  _ are _ going, aren’t you?” Eddie’s question floated up into the air like smoke, until it was replaced with a statement. 

 

“You better be,” Eddie warned, his brown eyes flashing red for a second, annoyance sprinkled in his tone. 

 

“Eddie, I really wanna go. It’s just…” Richie didn’t know how to put it. It’s just what? Just that Richie is selfish and wants to screw someone instead of watching his friends play baseball? Now that Richie thinks about the answer, he wished he never implied he wasn’t going. It was a shitty excuse for certain. 

 

“It’s just I was asked to go to a party on Saturday. I mean, maybe I can go to the game and then go to the party a little late?” Richie watched disappointment flood Eddie’s eyes before they hardened. 

 

“The game is at 8 pm. Probably won’t end until 9 or 10 ish,” Eddie explained, trying to pull out the party’s time from Richie. 

 

“That’s okay! The party's at 10. I mean, if I leave a bit early, Bill and Stan won’t mind, would they?” Richie asked cautiously, knowing Eddie’s brain was calculating every aspect and outcome of Saturday night. 

 

“Stan wouldn’t mind. But, Bill might be a bit upset. I’m not too sure. But definitely try to go. They both will be pissed you didn’t make their first game,” Eddie assured, a stern look still plastered on his face. 

 

Richie almost shivered from chills, because Angry Eddie was a scary Eddie. 

 

Richie merely nodding, knowing Eddie probably thought lower of him knowing he couldn’t choose between a party and his friends. It would be worse if Eddie knew that the party would end with deep dicking.

 

“So, why are you going to a party?” Eddie asked with a raised eyebrow. 

 

“What do you mean? It’s just a party,” Richie lied. 

 

“Then if it’s just a party, why can’t you just ditch it for the game?” Eddie was really acting like some lawyer, all up in Richie’s case like this. 

 

“It’s my first college party, I forgot the game was on Saturday and got excited, I guess,” Richie shrugged, feeling his chest sink in.  Eddie simply nodded, understanding yet hesitant. 

 

“Who are you going with?” Eddie piped up, curiously leaning forward as Richie’s chest tightened. 

 

“Uh, what is this? An interrogation?” Richie nervously laughed out, trying to use humor as a scapegoat. It usually worked. Not this time, however. 

 

“Yes it is. So, is it a date or something?” Eddie deadpanned, his gaze unwavering as Richie found himself unable to make constant eye-contact. Only sparse glances, before he tore his eyes away to look around the room. It was too obvious. 

 

“A, uh, a d-date?” Richie laughed again, stuttering. It was useless, Richie knew the lying wouldn’t really work due to his oh-so-obvious giveaways. 

 

“Yes, Bill, is it a date or not?” Eddie mocked the stuttering, a smirk pulling upon his pretty face. Richie almost choked on spit as he inhaled a laugh, his heartbeat increasing as he fell deeper into the rabbit hole that was Eddie Kaspbrak.

 

“Very witty, Ed’s, but it is not a date. I don’t want a boyfriend right now,” Richie sighed out. 

 

“So it’s a guy,” Eddie perked up. It wasn’t really a question, more like an observation. 

 

“Yeah, so what? Can’t I get some?” It left Richie’s mouth before he realized, and now he couldn’t take it back. 

 

The information was out there and for Eddie to hear. Richie and Eddie’s eyes both widened at the words, for different reasons 

 

“Holy shit, I knew it! You’re going there on a date!” Eddie exclaimed, sounding more offended then surprised, pointing at Richie in an accusing manner. 

 

“It’s not a date, goddamnit,” Richie’s hands covered his face, which was growing a red color. 

 

“Well, you said you were gonna get some,” Eddie narrowed his eyes in suspicion. 

 

“I can fuck without dating,” Richie, yet again, spoke before thinking. He does it quite a lot. In fact, he’s infamous for it. 

 

Eddie’s eyes grew wider. 

 

“You’re such a whore, oh my god,” Eddie covered his mouth, a smile hiding behind it. Richie felt the tightness within his chest release at the sight, letting himself smile a bit, too. 

 

“The sluttiest,” He winked at Eddie who, Richie could swear, blushed. 

 

“Well, it’s nice knowing you would rather hit it from behind instead of support our friends,” Eddie mumbled, rolling his eyes slightly. 

 

“I said I’m going to the game! I promise,” Richie reassured Eddie that he wasn’t a total asshat, and watched Eddie turn his head slightly and narrow his eyes once again. 

 

“You swear?”   
  


Richie held out his pinkie finger to Eddie, who instinctively wrapped his own around it. They touched thumbs to seal the deal. Eddie smiled fondly.

 

“I swear."


	4. Baby, you're a perfect ten, I wanna get in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie stays true to his promise to Eddie and goes to the game.  
> He parts ways with the Losers to meet up with Daniel for a good time.  
> It's better than he thought it'd be. 
> 
> SEXUAL CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER, IMPLICATIONS OF SEX. 
> 
>  
> 
> Song of the Chapter: No Diggity by Blackstreet

* * *

 

 

Saturday came in a flash of sleep, eating, and class.  
Richie was currently standing in the bleachers, cheering on Bill who was up at bat. It was the last inning, and it was a tie.

If Bill hit this ball, it could be enough to bring his teammate, who was on third base, home. The pitcher threw the ball straight to Bill’s bat, unfortunately for the pitcher.

Bill hit the ball out of the park, for a final home run. Bev and Eddie were livid, screaming their hearts out. Richie whistled through his fingers, loud in celebration. He yelled Bill’s name, as the boy finally reached home plate. Mike chanted Bill’s last name, causing Bev, Ben, and Eddie to do so as well.

The first game of the season and they won. The rest of the team rushed to the field, and Richie could spot Stan rushing to hug Bill tightly, as Bill jumped up and down. Richie was glad he didn’t miss this. Moments like this were important.

“You guys ready to go to the after party?” Bev grinned at Richie and Eddie, who exchanged knowing looks with each other.

“Actually, Bev, I promised to go to another party last already. But, I’ll meet up with you all tomorrow to celebrate the win,” Richie offered a half-hearted smile, which was accepted by Bev.

“No problem. I’ll let them know,” Bev winked as she gestured towards Bill and Stan on the field. Richie nodded thankfully, before turning his attention to Eddie.

“Have fun at that after party,” Richie smirked, as Eddie rolled his eyes knowingly, folding his arms.

“All those hunky baseball players? You know I will,” Eddie smoothly answered, wiggling his eyebrows to annoy Richie.

The only thing that was annoying about the statement was that Eddie would drool all over those guys in uniform. They were way better built than Richie considered himself, and they probably had that cocky arrogance that people found sexy.

But Richie quickly reminded himself that he was about to go have sex with someone else and didn’t have the right to be jealous. If Richie could go off with someone, who was he to stop Eddie from doing so as well?

He bid them a farewell, with one last wink towards a specifically adorable blonde boy, and he was off.

About 10 minutes later, Richie strolled up to the library, where Daniel was waiting. He was a good ten minutes late, but at least he was here.

“Hey Danny, sorry I’m late,” Richie huffed out as he looked over the dirty-blonde boy’s outfit.

He was wearing a black and tight see-through shirt and black jeans just as tight. Richie scanned his face for any makeup but found none. Just Daniel’s pale, sculpted face.

Not seeing any shimmer or color was strangely disappointing, but Richie tried to shake how comfortable he was with Eddie’s beauty routines. Daniel was a different person.

“It’s no worries. I got here maybe 5 minutes ago, Ready to dip?” Daniel quirked a brow playfully as he held out his hand.

Richie wasn’t against holding hands, so he clasped onto Daniel’s as they walked together to the party.

The party was being held in a frat house that Richie has never seen, and you could see from the gathering of people just on the lawn that this would be a crazy night. He wonders why he hasn’t seen this street before this.

Maybe he hasn’t explored around the college area enough.

As they walked into the front door, Richie was reminded of all those shady high school parties he attended.  
The lights were dimmed, the only bright ones were plug-in strobe lights. The air was thick and heavy with smoke and heat of sexual tension. The music was so loud, it made Richie’s chest vibrate to the beat.

‘Whoop! There it is!’ by Tag Team was blaring, making Richie scan the room of grinding bodies. He knew, that in only a few minutes, he would be doing the same.

By the time Daniel was getting them drinks, Richie started to get a feeling that this wasn’t the best idea. He wanted to still have sex with Daniel, yeah. But, the sole reason for his doubt in his choice making was non-then than Eddie himself.

It bothered Richie that Eddie knew about his little meeting today.

It bothered Richie that Eddie knew not only was he going with someone to this party but also that he was probably gonna be railing him by the strike of midnight.

He wondered what the after party was like, and if Eddie would be approached by a guy while dancing around with his perfect ass, pretty face, and feisty mouth.

Richie tried to shake his mind out of the gutter before he got too deep.

It bothered Richie that he was here with Daniel and some lunk-head may be there with Eddie.

It made him feel dirty like he shouldn’t be doing what he was about to do. He only felt dirty because he was still about to go through with this, even though Eddie knew about it. Richie liked to brag occasionally about sex, but most of the time he kept the details private.

In a perfect world, Eddie would’ve said that he didn’t want Richie to go off with someone else, someone he’d just met. But Eddie has always respected Richie’s privacy.

And surely there was no reason for Eddie to be jealous of Daniel, due to the fact that he was only Eddie’s friend. He was always this, and he seemed destined to always be just that.

“Drink up,” Daniel’s voice demanded loudly over the music, tearing Richie away from his own sinking thoughts.

He looked over to see a blue solo cup being held out to him, Daniel grinning lazily his way.

He was here to get drunk, he was here to fuck.

What was he waiting for?

Richie took the cup, nodding thanks Daniel’s way.

Why was he so hesitant?  
Richie knew why.  
And the reason why was a pretty, lovely boy he’d known since he was 6.

But Richie wasn’t here for Eddie. He was here because of Eddie; his newly blonde locks. His charming, brown eyes. His infectious smile. His irresistible personality.

He needed to get away from how perfect Eddie seemed, or he’d surely make a mistake and ruin their dynamic. Richie was a clown, always has been. Eddie encouraged him, just to see how silly he could be.

They were the perfect duo in comedy, he could always rely on his smart-mouth to make Eddie laugh that glorious sound.

But, that’s all it was.

A friendship.

And the sooner Richie suffocated the idea of them actually getting together, the better. He needed to kill these feelings that were growing stronger for Eddie every day.

So, as any young adult would, he drowned out his sorrow in alcohol. He downed the cup Daniel gave him without stopping.

“Woah there, cowboy; That cup is all Vodka! It was meant to be sipped over time,” Daniel was cackling at Richie’s rookie mistake.

As Richie wiped the corners of his mouth of any free liquid, it dawned on him that if that was all Vodka, he’d be seriously fucked up within 20 minutes.

“Are you fucking kidding?” Richie managed, looking into the blue cup that only had liquid in the small indentations at the bottom. Daniel’s laugh flooded his ears, and Richie could only think of how gross his mouth tasted.

“You’re fucking insane,” Daniel hollered in amusement, and it made Richie’s head snap up to look at him. That sounded dangerously familiar to something Eddie would say. The words are common, yes. But it reminded Richie of his little feisty friend a little too much. Sad enough to say, it made being with Daniel easier.

“Wanna break that dance floor?” Richie attempted to be suave, but he heard his own words slur a bit. Daniel seemed not to notice it, and if he did notice it went unmentioned.

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Daniel grinned and pulled Richie’s arm towards other moving bodies.

Sweetheart?

Richie was sure Stan had sarcastically called him that a few times, but he wasn’t too sure how he liked that word when being used unironically.

When Daniel found a spot he liked to stay, he turned to face Richie and began to move around.

Richie was starting to feel the effects of that drink a while into dancing, and everything began to get all hot and blurry.

In the middle of all the colored lights and flashy movements, Daniel twirled around and pushed back against Richie’s body. Richie felt Daniel’s body move against his lower region, and the movement caused Richie’s hands to reach for his hips.

Daniel threw his head back against Richie’s body to look up at him, before smiling in satisfaction and continuing to work his hips in a circle.

Richie closed his eyes at the feeling of someone else rubbing themselves against his own body. A Ricky Martin song was coming to a close when Richie finally opened his eyes.

‘No Diggity’ by Blackstreet started up as Richie’s vision stabilized.

There were eyes, across the way, staring right into his face.  
Richie felt his own eyes widen at the familiarity of the eyes in the distance, watching.  
Those eyes belonged to Stan.

Stan rose an eyebrow at the eye contact and that’s when Richie needed to look away.

“Uh,” Richie dumbly vocalized his shock, but Daniel couldn't hear over the loud lyrics blasting ‘Shorty get down,’.

Richie grabbed Daniel’s shoulder, face heating up not because of Daniel’s scandalous grinding, but Stan’s judging presence.

“What’s up?” Daniel shouted slightly, turning his body curiously to Richie’s stiff postured form.

“Uh, I need a drink break. I’ll meet you back here in a few. Is that cool?” Richie hoped Daniel wouldn’t be clingy about this whole thing, it was just to get their rocks off.

No personal attachment should be included, right?

“No problem! I need a little free space anyway, your body was getting too hot,” Daniel shouted with a comical wink. God, it reminded him of Bev, for some strange reason. Richie wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

Richie wanted to be able to smile at the wink, and he tried to since Daniel was no one to blame; but his main focus right now was why the fuck Stan was here.

“Well, now’s a good time to cool off!” Richie answered awkwardly, trying to look anything but what he was: anxious. He was about to lose his mind, what if it was just the drink playing tricks on his conscious and Stan never really was there?

Daniel didn’t seem to catch the negative air, and only gave Richie a grin before returning to the dance floor’s will to let go.

Richie felt his chest tighten as he turned in search for his Jewish friend, hoping to God he wasn’t actually there. Shouldn’t he be at his Team’s afterparty with the others?

Low and behold, as he walked towards the houses’ designated ‘Bar’ or formally known as Kitchen, Stan was there in all his uniform glory, leaned up against the wall with a cup in hand.

He gave Richie an unreadable look as Richie tried his best not to think of how long Stan had seen him dancing with Daniel and why the hell Stan wasn’t with the others.

“Richie, I have to ask you something,” Stan stated, getting closer for Richie to hear.

“Yeah, I have a few questions for you, too. What the hell are you doin’ here, Stanny?” Richie tried to play it cool, even though his eyes probably gave his nervousness away.

Stan quickly swigged the rest of his drink down before taking Richie by the arm and pulling him into the Kitchen.

“Ouch, Staniel, all that baseball made you strong,” Richie half-joked, since Stan’s body build was significantly toned since the last time they’ve roughed around playfully.

“Listen, Richie. You’re a moron, okay? Why did you tell us you weren’t going to the after party?” Stan’s voice was as sober as could be, and this close to the curly-haired boy’s face, Richie could tell it was only apple juice in Stan's cup.

“What am I supposed to say? I’m going to another party cause someone asked to fuck?” Richie felt something inside him kick around, trying to tell him to stop talking and sober up.

But, the words were out already and here they were. Why is such a big deal anyway? No one cared when he did this in High School? Why did Stan follow him here, anyway?

Stan’s face softened in realization, and Richie could’ve sworn he saw Stan break into a smile for a split second. But, by the time he blinked, the smile was gone.

“You really are an idiot, aren’t you,” Stan patted Richie’s shoulder almost sympathetically like he pitied Richie for being drunk and horny.

“Hey, why did you follow me here, Stan? To make fun of my needs?” Richie slurred out.

“Oh, your needs?” Stan quirked up, amusedly crossing his arms.

“Yes my sex-you-al needs,” Richie thrusted towards Stan, making the latter laugh and push Richie away.

“Gross, Tozier. I don’t ever want to witness your needs, alright? And what do you mean follow you here? You left the game before I saw you. How would I have followed you?”

Stan’s question didn’t enlighten Richie’s question, even though it should.

“Wait, what party do you think this is?” Stan pointed at Richie as if accusing him of something, and Richie threw his hands up in the air.

“Woah, partner, keep those guns to yourself,”  
“Answer me, Richie. What party is this?”  
“Shouldn’t you know? You followed me!”  
“Richie, listen, I came here-”  
“-Hey guys! Damn, Richie actually showed?”  
The two boys turned to look at Bill, who was holding a cup full of beer.  
Richie felt betrayed.

“You!” Richie shouted, causing others to look over warily before they brushed it off as someone just being a dumb drunk. They would be right to do so.

Stan tried to calm Richie down before it escalated, but Richie pulled towards Bill.

“You followed me here, too! Billiam, I trusted you,” Richie felt light headed and airy like he could fly away or tip over; no in between.

“Richie, you said you weren’t going to the afterparty,” Bill shrugged, sipping casually on his cup as if Richie wasn’t acting like they were knights at a duel.

“I’m not going,” Richie said dumbly. But, at the mere confusion on Bill’s handsome face and the groan of frustration from a face-palmed Stan, Richie seemed to put the pieces half-assedly together.

“But, you are at the afterparty,” Bill questioned, his face still screwed up distractedly.

“I’m at the afterparty,” Richie dumbfoundedly repeated, feeling the disorientated music slowly become clear again.

“No way,” Richie breathed out, looking at Stan for help. Stan provided as much as he could.

“Yes way, Rich. That’s what I’ve been confused about. I was talking to Eddie when I saw you dancing, and wondered why you were-”

"-Eddie?” Richie's throat felt parched, just saying his name. Fuck, if he’d be damned.

Daniel’s party was the Baseball Team’s after party.

It was the same fucking party.

And Eddie could have seen him dry humping Daniel.

“Yeah, of course, Eddie’s here. We’re all here, including you, I guess,” Bill chuckled out an answer for Stan, moving closer with a lopsided grin on his face. Stan didn’t look as happy, however.

He was concerned that Richie was going to have an aneurysm at the very realization that those two parties ended up being the same one. Stan knew that Richie was a private person when it came to his hookups.

Sure, he made pervy comments and jokes, but he never went into detail about anyone that he’s fucked. He never even showed the Loser’s club, maybe with the exception of Bev, any of the 'lucky' candidates.

He always kept their name and or face hidden. So Stan could understand why Richie was about to freak out, and it’s all because Richie likes to keep his sex life private. Stan agreed with Richie’s wishes, no one needed to know what happens between the sheets.

It was his own business, and Stan felt bad for the poor guy. He was drunk, anxious, and probably still a little riled up from all that dry-sex-dancing.

Before Richie could question Eddie’s location, he saw the Blonde boy talking to Mike, as they seemed to have followed Bill towards Stan and him.

Speak of the Devil and he shall come.

Richie was contemplating whether he should bolt for it, or stick around to never hear the end of his mistake.

“Hey, Richie, whaddya doin’ here? Bev told us you weren’t making it tonight,” Mike questioned, getting closer to see that it was, in fact, Richie standing in between Stan and Bill.

“Richie?” Eddie muttered inaudibly, but Richie saw his perfect mouth form his name. He looked at Eddie wearily, watching his dark eyebrows pull together in bewilderment.

“That party he was going to? Yeah, turns out it’s this party,” Bill laughed out, softly hitting Richie’s shoulder. Bill obviously had been drinking a good amount, since he seemed way too loose and giggly to be sober.

Mike chuckled at Richie’s mistake.

“Aw, well, that’s a good thing, ain’t it? We all can get our party on together,” Mike began to dance his way toward Bill and Stan, shimming his chest when Bill hooted in amusement. Stan didn’t look necessarily irritated, but he did look concerned. He and Eddie nearly held the same expression, except Stan looked exasperated.  
“Bill, please-” Stan pushed off the drunk blue-eyed boy, who had joined Mike in his little ‘bring the dancefloor to you’ escapade.

“Oh, come on, Stanny. Let’s get our groove on,” Bill slurred, placing his cup down to grasp onto both of Stan’s thin arms. Stan didn’t attempt to break free from Denbrough stronghold, he couldn’t even if he tried.

That’s when it hit Richie.  
The dance floor.  
Daniel was still there, waiting for him there.

Richie looked ready to exit the Loser’s company when he noticed Eddie’s unwavering gaze.

He seemed to be waiting for Richie’s explanation, though, arms crossed and eyes strained on him closely for observation.

“Yes?”  
  
“Don’t mock me, curly. Did you know the afterparty was the same as your little shindig?”

“Of course I didn’t, why the hell would I come here with someone if I knew you’d guys see us?”

Eddie’s face softened and his arms lowered to his sides. Eddie knew Richie couldn’t have known, it was just a sliver of jealousy that made Eddie feel uneasy.

It was already a low feeling that Richie had a ‘date’ or whatever he calls it, but now Eddie could witness it. It pissed Eddie off, that someone is in the crowd, waiting for Richie to return to them.

“I believe you,” Eddie reassured him, nodding towards the dance floor. Richie looked over to the lights and the moving bodies, not really wanting to go into that sex-filled maze to find Daniel.

He wanted to keep talking to Eddie, maybe flirt with him a smidge and party with all his friends. He suddenly didn’t feel like going home with Daniel. He wanted to be with Eddie.

“What are you waiting for, isn’t he waiting on you?” Eddie questioned, needing to hide the hope that Richie would ditch Mr. No-Name and hang out with them. It was a selfish thought, but Eddie couldn’t help but feel that wish strongly. He wouldn’t ask Richie to stay. He would only hope for it.

“Yeah, it’s been a few minutes now. He’s probably looking for me,” Richie lied through his teeth, he didn’t know if Daniel gave a damn about where he was.

Maybe he already found someone else to rub against to the beat of a song. Maybe he already left with that said newly found one-night-stand. Richie wasn’t too sure Daniel liked him as much as to go searching for him.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Eddie courtly offered, bowing his head at Richie to let him go on his little journey through the crowd.

“Alright, I guess I’ll see you later then?” Richie asked, hoping Daniel did leave without him, leaving Richie no other choice but to seek Eddie instead.

“Sure,” Eddie nodded, backing away with a small smile, before most likely looking for the others.

Richie gave one last wave before Eddie disappeared into the dim lighting along with everyone else.

Richie tried not to let the disappointment that was oh-so-evidently there overwhelm him.  
He walked towards where he left Daniel, which seemed to be the opposite way Eddie had gone.

He was surprised to find a bated-breath Daniel halfway through the crowd, walking towards where Richie left Eddie.

“Oh,” Richie inhaled.

“Hey, I was gettin’ worried. Thought I’d come find you,” Daniel winked at him playfully, but the worry was evident in his eyes.

Oh.

Richie was shocked Daniel even bothered to look let alone get worried.  
  
“Y-you didn’t have to. Just saw a friend,” Richie told him truthfully, trying not to sound stumble over his own astonishment.

There wasn’t much to lie about, except that he would’ve bet cold hard cash that Daniel would’ve bounced by now.

But, he hadn’t left. In fact, he had just been looking for Richie.

“Oh, was it Mike or Beverly?” Daniel grinned, clasping his hands together in excitement.

Richie knew that Daniel only knew of the Trippy Trio; so he didn’t take it as ‘you only have two friends’ and more like ‘these are the only two of your friends I know of’.

“Neither, actually. I mean, I saw Mike. But, I saw some of my other friends with him. They were pretty thrilled to see me here since I said I couldn’t make it to the Baseball Team’s afterparty,” Richie lifted a brow at Daniel’s widened eyes, and he watched Daniel’s face break into realization.

“Oh, Gosh, I forgot to tell you that this was the afterparty, didn’t I? I’m sorry ‘bout that, I didn’t think it was important to bring up at the time,” Daniel sheepishly apologized, which Richie also found strange.

Maybe he wasn’t used to his hook-ups being so personal and real with him.

“I’m guessing I should’ve told you,” Daniel concluded, looking into Richie’s calm face.

“Don’t worry, some of my buds are on the Team, so they were just confused to see me here when I told them I, uh, ‘couldn’t make it due to another party’,” Richie laughed off, feeling more relaxed knowing Daniel wasn’t a detached asshole who just wanted sex.

At least he showed concern, even if it was just pretend.

Richie appreciated it the efforts.

“I’m sorry, next time I’ll tell all,” He smiled, reaching out and taking hold of Richie’s arm.

“Next time?” Richie’s mouth spoke before his brain could process it silently, looking at Daniel for an explanation.

Woah, all they did was dance for half an hour before Richie left him all alone. They haven’t even gotten to the dirty part yet, and hazel eyes over here is talking about the next time?

“I mean, if you enjoy your night, that is,” Daniel smirked, pulling Richie in closer by the wrist.

Richie decided it was best not to answer, but to pull Daniel closer.

  
The hold the blonde had on his wrist was secure enough to tug him back over to Richie. With a gasp, he was pulled forward to meet Richie chest-to-chest.

Richie’s glazed eyes stared down at Daniel, who seemed taken aback by the sudden response.

Richie could feel Daniel’s heart beating erratically as it was pressed against his own.

Richie’s own heart wasn’t necessarily racing, he was actually quite unperturbed.

He didn’t feel his body burn under Daniel’s hot touch, even now that they continued to dance once again. Daniel’s naughty contact was nothing compared to Eddie’s slightest linger.

The thought of Eddie made Richie’s hands tighten on Daniel’s hips, and he felt himself get lost in the music that seemed to be orchestrated by Daniel’s own movements.

He let himself grind into the curve of Daniel’s ass, willing to finally give in. He just ground down once, to make sure the other was okay with it.

And when Daniel threw his head back over Richie’s shoulder, moving almost impossibly closer, Richie knew he might be a little more than okay with it.

Richie imagined down Eddie’s head would perfectly rest upon his shoulder if he were in Daniel’s position.

Daniel was taller than the Kaspbrak boy, so with his head thrown back, he was more cheek to cheek with Richie.

Daniel was so close that whenever Richie moved his hips onto him, he could hear Daniel’s moan. It was creating a problem below the belt for Richie, and he knew that sooner or later they’d need to make a run for it before they release all this tension in the bathroom stall.

When Daniel’s hand snuck down Richie’s thigh and began to slide its way towards his groin, Richie moved quickly.

He grabbed Daniel by the hand and searched frantically for an exit. He needed to get them to Richie’s room, maybe Daniel’s if he was willing.

Whichever was closer was really what Richie wanted.

The sooner they arrived, they sooner they could go at each other.

Richie heard Daniel giggling behind him once they were back in the silent outdoors.

“Geez, didn’t even finish the song,” Daniel teased, trying to keep up with Richie’s fast-paced walk.

“The song ended when your hand decided to roam free,” Richie stated, blunt and true. It was the tipping point from turned-on to horny.

“Well, maybe you should punish me for roaming without asking,” Richie heard Daniel nearly purr, and he could swear on his life Eddie probably is the same way in bed.

It was pushing him closer and closer to the edge.

“Where’s your dorm?” Richie heard his voice get deep, and it frightened him. He met this guy not even a week ago and now he was aggressively ready to fuck him.

Richie wished life was this easy when it came to actual romance.

“I live in York Hall. It’s over there if you turn left,”  
“Is your roommate home? You might be loud,”  
“I don’t have a roommate. The guy never showed, so I’m technically in a single,”  
“You lucky son-of-a-bitch,”

They barely made it up from the living room and into Daniel’s room before Richie tore Daniel’s shirt off.

Richie wants this. Why wouldn’t he, Daniel’s pretty hot.

But Eddie’s hotter.

Richie growled at his own thoughts, pushing Daniel down on the bed once the door clicked shut.

Daniel didn’t turn the lamp on and the only light that glowed on them was the dim, fairy lights that hung up on the ceiling next to Daniel’s bed.

Richie took his own shirt off before towering over Daniel, placing one leg on each side of him. He bracketed Daniel with both arms at the side of his face and leaned down to get closer.

“I have one rule about kissing,” Richie seriously introduced.

“And what is that?” Daniel whispered back in the near-dark.

“We can kiss before we fuck and during the fun, but I don’t kiss after we're through,” Richi wanted to make it clear that this wouldn’t be any love-making type of deal.

He wasn’t here to kiss Daniel a good night or whisper sweet nothings into his ear. It was a rule he had with all his past hookups.

The only person Richie would ever do that with was Eddie.

“I’m surprised we can kiss at all,” Daniel laughed, instinctively wrapping his legs around Richie’s torso.

Richie licked his lips, thinking about taking kissing off the table until he felt a warmth on his neck.

He felt his whole body melt into Daniel’s neck-kissing, loving the feeling of someone latched onto the column of his neck. He wished those lips were someone else's, someone who wore colorful lip gloss to stain Richie’s neck with.

“You’re so kissable, I was afraid you wouldn’t want to,” Daniel whispered hotly against the wet part of Richie’s neck, sending cool breaths its way.

It sent shivers all over Richie’s body, crowning his head down towards Daniel’s. It was almost too sweet to say, at least in their predicament.

It made Richie close his eyes, and wish Eddie would say something like that in a similar manner. Daniel’s mouth found new places to suck on due to Richie’s new position.

“Maybe we should do more than just kiss, yeah?” Richie's voice was shaken, due to the amount of harsh sucking on his collarbones and neck.

Daniel was occupied there for a while before an impatient Richie pulled Daniel into a tongue-filled kiss, and discarded his jeans over his shoulder.  
Richie fucked Daniel rough and hotly that night, cursing his way through the pleasure. He had pushed Daniel down on all fours, only able to see his back.

Throughout, Richie gaze would fall down and see nothing but blonde hair shining in the dimly warm lights and came hard with Eddie’s name on the tip of his tongue. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want to write explicit sex for an OC character since they aren't end game  
> and I'd rather save that GOOD GOOD for Reddie ;)


	5. Temptation, Frustration, So Bad It Makes Him Cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie faces the consequences of not telling Daniel that hooking up was a one-time thing.  
> Daniel meets the Losers, resulting in tension between Richie and Eddie. 
> 
> SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Don't Stand So Close To Me by The Police

 

* * *

 

The weekend slipped away into the weekdays, and Richie wasn’t so sure meeting Daniel was such a great idea now he realized he would see him every time he went to Art class.

Richie convinced himself it was a one-time thing.

He tried to push the idea of Daniel wanting to become more than bed-friends away as he woke up on Monday morning.

He had only two classes today, Geology with Stan, Bill, and Eddie, and Visual Arts with Daniel. Richie hoped to God today would be seamlessly normal, and he wouldn’t have to explain himself for Saturday night.

He has only seen Stan on Sunday, as he tried to finish up his homework due this week. Richie went into the bathroom, cringing at himself in the mirror.

 _“_ Jesus Christ,” He mumbled, placing a hand up to his neck. Daniel destroyed his neck with dark, purple hickies, even down to his collarbones. Richie hadn’t noticed the marks until Sunday afternoon, where Stan waltzed in with coffee.

  
_“Mother of God, what happened to you?” Stan’s voice floated to Richie in shock, but when Richie looked up, his face was wearing a smirk._

_“Whatcha mean, Staniel?” Richie asked, trying to locate Stan’s gaze. It was on his neck._

_“What did you do, fuck a vampire?” Stan laughed dryly, as Richie desperately rushed to look at his neck in the mirror._

_“Fuck!”_

 

And they haven’t faded in the slightest. Sure, it’s only been a day, but they almost seemed to get darker. Richie resorted to wearing a scarf since he wasn’t cool or lame enough to own any turtlenecks.

He finished getting ready and rushed out of the dorm, Stan already gone. It was strange since the Jewish boy usually waited for him in the morning. Maybe he had practice or something.

Richie made his way to the library’s Starbucks, turning to enter the cafe once inside the front doors. He saw the gang waiting at the table they’ve claimed at the start of the year.

He knew that since it was only early fall, he obviously looked silly with the scarf wrapped around his neck. Luckily, everyone else had on light coats, so it wouldn’t be too strange to see a scarf these days.

Bill saw Richie first, raising his arm up at him, causing the other two boys to turn and look over at him as well. Stan’s face was smug and punchable, and Richie felt a heat of embarrassment rush up his neck. Surely Stan wouldn’t mock him in front of the others, right?

“Hey there, lover boy,” Stan called out, and Richie’s hopes came crashing down.

“We got you an iced coffee, but you look a little too cold for that,” Bill commented humorously, pointing at Richie’s scarf. Richie fake-laughed before sliding in next to Bill. Richie’s face was slightly cold from the wind outside, but he overall felt just fine. Screw Bill and Stan.

“Cute hair today, Richie. Ever heard of a brush?” Eddie’s heavenly voice hit Richie like a slap in the face. He looked up directly in front of him to see the Blonde boy, leaning on one hand as he sipped through a straw on his drink.

His brown eyes were playful and confidently daring Richie to reply just as such. Richie couldn’t refuse Eddie if he wanted.

“Ever heard of getting laid? You’re so uptight, you might need it,” Richie winked back, causing Eddie’s smile to falter and roll his eyes instead.

“Screw you,” Eddie breathed out, looking away and towards the window.  
“Exactly,” Richie spoke without thinking, but it was Richie. They wouldn’t suspect a thing, so he stayed calm.

“Seems like you already have that covered,” Stan cheekily added, and Eddie restrained the need to scoff. Richie glared over at Stan as Bill cluelessly looked between the other three.

“Anyway, like I was saying before you came in, Eddie and I were thinking about requesting songs for Trippy Trio,” Stan explained, leaning closer to look across at Richie.

“Like, you give me a list of suggestions?” Richie asked, testing out the iced coffee. It was bitter, like Stan.

“Yeah, if that’s okay. Ben, Bill, Eddie, and I always hold bets on who plays which song. We thought it’d be fun if you chose one requested song each show just for us to bet on who picked it,” Stan looked over at Bill with a grin, thinking about how he won their bets he very first show of Trippy Trio.

“Totally, sounds good. You have the list yet? We could pick one tonight,” Richie agreed, looking down at the ice through his plastic coffee cup for an answer.

“We’ll make sure to give it to you before the show tonight,” Bill said, nodding after looking at Stan and Eddie for mutual agreement.

Richie nodded back, smiling small as Stan said something about the time and that they should get going.

As they walked to class, Eddie trailed next to Richie as Bill and Stan talked about next week’s Baseball game.

“Are you getting sick?” Eddie asked curiously, looking up at Richie. Richie opened his mouth, gaping like a fish, as he thought of a lie.

“N-no, I just think it goes with my outfit today,” Richie said quickly, hoping that Eddie would believe him if he nodded along. Eddie’s eyes scanned over Richie clothing: Black jeans, black and green bomber, orange button-down, and a navy blue scarf.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but your outfit is...questionable,” Eddie laughed, looking down at his own feet.

“As always,” Richie reassured, close to sweating at how shitty that excuse was. It wasn’t that Eddie didn’t know Richie slept with someone, he knows perfectly what Richie did that Saturday night. It was more of Richie not comfortable with seeing the damage.

Knowing is one thing, but witnessing evidence was another.

Richie didn’t like that the gang almost saw who he was with, it wasn’t like he wanted to introduce Daniel to them all. Daniel wasn’t his boyfriend, so it only makes sense to keep personal matters to oneself.

The day passed slowly, and at the end of his second class, he tried to leave quickly so he could meet with Mike, Ben, Eddie, and Bev for late lunch. He wasn’t going to lie, he was avoiding Daniel.

The blonde boy had tried to talk to him before class, but once the teacher entered the room, Richie told him class started and that’d he ‘talk later’. Richie lied, of course.

He didn’t really want to talk. He wanted to go and enjoy his day without worrying about Daniel and his little Saturday night fun.

“Richie!” Daniel hollered, just as Richie turned to leave out the door. Richie couldn’t pretend that he didn’t hear him. He didn’t have his headphones on, so he simply tries to remove the grimace on his face for being caught, and turned to Daniel with a small grin.

“Daniel, hi,” Richie managed, but he couldn’t avoid how awkward it came out.

“Hey. What’s with the scarf?” Daniel wiggled his eyebrows at Richie, trying to be funny. Richie didn’t feel like laughing and when Daniel’s hand reached for it, Richie grabbed his wrist.

“Well, my neck looks like a Pollock painting thanks to you,” Richie sighed, dropping Daniel’s wrist as he turned to keep walking out the door. Daniel followed suit and Richie heard him chuckling.  
“It’s quite an accomplishment if I do say so myself,” Daniel amusingly said, but it made Richie uneasy. Never did any of his hookups care to talk to him after fucking a few times.

They usually waited until they needed sex again, but it was radio silence until then. Forgive Richie, but he didn’t know Daniel wanted to keep talking like they were friends or something.

Maybe they could be friends, but the hooking-up would have to come to an end.

made it clear: friends never fucked unless it turned into a relationship. Friends-with-benefits wasn’t Richie’s thing.

Whatever Daniel was doing needed to be confronted because Richie preferred not to have the Losers know someone he drilled meaninglessly.

“Daniel, is there something you need? I’m meeting my friends for lunch,” Richie tried to make it quick and plain, he didn’t want to be hurtful.

“Oh, that’s nice. Could I come join you?” Daniel asked the question that Richie had been dreading, but Richie was slightly annoyed that the other boy didn’t take the hint that he was busy.

“Daniel-”-Hey Richie,” Mike’s voice sounded out of nowhere, and Richie almost fist pumped at the timing. He could slip away from Daniel without having to reject him.

“Whos this?” Mike smiled at Daniel and shook his hand. Richie smile faded in a realization that maybe Mike showing up wasn’t something to be celebrated for once.

“I’m Richie’s friend, Daniel,” It was horrifying, really. The hand that Mike uses to mess up Bill’s hair with, to steady Stan on a skateboard with, was shaking the hand that scratched marks into Richie’s back in pleasure.

Richie felt like his mind was on fire, stuck and frozen in fear that Daniel would get invited to eat with them.

“We were going to eat lunch now, have you eaten yet?” Mike was the friendliest son of a bitch Richie has ever known, and he didn’t know if he loved it or hated it.

“Well, I’m not sure. I don’t want to interrupt something,” Daniel smiled coyly, waving his hands as Mike’s smile deepened.

‘Mike, don’t you dare,’ Richie thought, as the final choice was made.

“Nonsense, come eat with us,” Mike reassured Daniel’s worry and Richie’s death.

They arrived at lunch in the food court, and the whole time they walked there, Richie prayed to the Lord above that Eddie somehow wasn’t there today. The second they got there, Richie spotted the blonde boy sitting with Bev and Ben, smiling and talking.

God, Richie couldn’t stop thinking about how pretty Eddie’s smile was. That, and how much he regrets sleeping with Daniel.

“Hey guys, this is Daniel. He’s Richie’s friend from Art,” Mike introduced the other blonde boy, and Daniel waved at the bunch shyly.

“Hello,” Daniel simply said, and Richie must’ve looked like he was going to pass out because Bev was looking at Richie with concern.

Eddie smiled up at Daniel, but anyone who knew Eddie knew that it was bullshit. Eddie didn’t seem to like Daniel, and Richie didn’t know why. Maybe it was because it was so sudden that a random person was thrown into their group for lunch. Richie would feel like same way if Eddie had brought someone.

“Well, let’s eat!” Bev tried to be enthusiastic, as Ben smiled warmly at her in support.

This was the start of a shit-show and Richie knew it. At least Bill and Stan weren’t here to witness it.

“So, you met Richie in Art?” Ben asked Daniel, who was eating a homemade peanut butter and jelly. Eddie had a stiff posture as he watched Daniel with a raised eyebrow, forking at the pasta in his dish.

“Yes, but I first noticed him when I listen to Trippy Trio. I love your guys’ station so much,” Daniel’s responses reminded Richie of when your significant other is telling people how you started dating. It was shy, blushy, and intimate. Except for the words, it felt like the same energy.

“Wow, thanks a ton,” Bev grinned, looking at Mike and Richie in excitement.

“So, you’re a fan?” Mike smoothed out, his voice like velvet.

“Oh, yeah, huge fan,” Daniel looked over at Richie, even going the mile to squeeze Richie’s arm with a giddy smile. Bev’s smile turned into shock, blue eyes wide in realization.

“Well, Daniel, we appreciate your support,” Bev said, but suspicion lurked in her tone. She eyed Richie as if she knew exactly what was happening.

“Hey guys, don’t we need to go finish that list of songs for tonight?” Bev asked the group. Mike looked confused, but Richie knew what she was doing. She was getting him out of this torture like she always did.

“Yeah, Bill and Stan said something about that,” Ben added, as Richie watched the other start to clean up their food. Daniel nodded, as he started to get up, too.

Eddie was silent the entire time, and Richie hoped that he wasn’t upset about Daniel.

He wanted to reassure Eddie that Daniel wouldn’t hang out with the Losers anymore; that this was accidental; a one-time thing. But he couldn’t when Daniel was still standing there like he was waiting for the others.

“You need any help?” Daniel asked with a grin, still not catching the drift. Bev’s smile stuttered into a frown for a moment, until Eddie scoffed suddenly.

“No, we can make a list of songs on our own. Doesn’t take 8 people to do it,” Eddie bluntly said, looking at Daniel with the ghost of a glare. Daniel smiled nervously, before nodding.

“Oh, I see. Well it’s nice meeting you all,” Daniel bid the group goodbye, but before he did, he walked up to Richie and whispered in his ear.

“Maybe I’ll see you sometime,” His breath made Richie shiver, have in arousal and half in disgust. Richie wasn’t so sure.

Daniel backed away and winked, before turning around and going on his merry way. Well, Richie had some explaining to avoid, that’s for sure.

They all made their way to Richie and Stan’s dorm, where the others would stay once the Trippy Trio’s time slot began. Bev had pulled Richie to the side, asking if that’s the kid he slept with after the party. Richie couldn’t lie to the redhead, and so he told her “No shit”.

“Why’d you bring him to lunch?” Bev’s question floated in the air and Richie felt like screaming that Mike did instead.

“You think I wanted him to follow me? Mike invited him,” Richie cooly stated, watching Mike, Ben, and Eddie trudge ahead of them.

“Well, I can’t say I’m surprised that he’s blonde,” Bev said with a smirk, knowing Richie had it in for the Kaspbrak boy.

Bev found out Richie liked Eddie when the Losers were playing spin the bottle. Richie wasn’t afraid to kiss anyone, but when Eddie’s bottle landed on Richie, Richie made shit up and said the bottle hit his hand and was supposed to be Ben.

Eddie ended up kissing Ben’s cheek that night, and the game ended when Stan refused to kiss Richie. It was playful and innocent, but Bev asked him later that night if he liked Eddie. And like Richie said before, he could never lie to Bev. She would see right through him either way.

“Zip it, Ringwald, the three stooges might hear you,” Richie shoved his hands into his coat pockets and nodded towards the others.

 

Later that night, Richie sat in his room gathering the things he needed for their 7 o’clock show. Everyone had gone for a coffee run, or so Richie thought. He heard a knock at the door and when he turned to ask who it was when he saw Eddie walking in.

“Hey there, blondie,” Richie smiled up from the floor at the other boy, as Eddie sat down next to him.

“Hiya,” Eddie’s voice was low and steady, making Richie think he was still annoyed about earlier.

“So, why are you still wearing that scarf?” Eddie asked suddenly, noticing that Richie hadn’t removed it with his coat.

Richie paused for a second on what he was packing into his bag, before continuing without response.

“Why didn’t you go get coffee?” Richie argued back instead, trying to deter the question.

“Why, Richie?” Eddie pushed further, ignoring Richie’s own question.  
Maybe Eddie would give it a rest if he ignored the question. But the fabric was pulled off by none other than Eddie himself, and it caused Richie to snap his head at Eddie in surprise.

“Eddie,” Richie started, but couldn’t finish as he saw that Eddie’s eyes were trailing along his neck already. Eddie’s eyes raked up and down the pale columns of Richie’s neck, his mouth watering slightly. He wished he could’ve made those marks, bruising the pretty, ivory skin.

Eddie began to think that the hickies that were darker in certain areas are where Richie preferred to be sucked on, maybe he liked those places better than others.

Jealousy rose in Eddie like food poisoning, but he tried to keep a scowl from being expressed.

“Wow, Pretty artwork. Who’s the artist?” Eddie asked with a laugh, but it didn’t reach his eyes. It was almost like the question was rhetorical, Eddie already knowing the answer.

Richie looked guiltily at the scarf in Eddie’s hands, wishing he could’ve just left it alone.

“Nobody,” Richie lamely avoided, looking back down at his bag.

“You wouldn’t let anyone attack your neck like that. Was it your date last Saturday?” Eddie tried to come off as happy for Richie, but there was no sweetness behind his voice. It was as sour as can be.

“It wasn’t a date for fuck's sake, we just fucked,” Richie roughly answered, standing up to retrieve his headset from his dresser.

“Geez, I’m sorry. I’m just curious to who it was is all,” Eddie mumbled, sitting on Richie’s bed in defeat. He played with the blue scarf in hand, wondering more and more about why Richie was so anal about keeping everything a secret.

Eddie remembers when Bill hooked up in high school, everyone would hear about it the next day. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

Richie sighed, rubbing his hand over his face in stress, before giving in to Eddie’s questions.

“I fucked Daniel, okay? Is that what you want to hear?” Richie stated, striding over past a startled Eddie and back to his bag to shove the papers in.

“Wait, you hooked-up with that guy?” Eddie sounded offended, of all things he could be. Richie felt thrown off by the tone, shooting Eddie a look.

“Yeah, deep-dicked him. Happy?” Richie was getting irritated with all Eddie’s mama-bear questions, and he wasn’t sure why. Maybe Richie didn’t like that type of information to be known by someone he wants to kiss but can’t.

Whatever it was, he rubbed in raunchy vocabulary as a point that he was annoyed. Eddie obviously got the message, but that didn’t stop him from keeping up the conversation.

“No, actually, I’m not,” Eddie decided, crossing his arms at Richie. Richie could almost laugh at how entitled he sounded for someone who was only a friend.

“Since when do you care who I fuck? Who are you, my mother?” Richie grumbled lazily, as he stood back up holding his bag with him.

“I don’t care particularly, just why him? He’s so...ugh,” Eddie responded with gagging, eyebrows furrowing together.

“Well next time maybe I’ll run my fuckbuddy by you, hm? Sounds good?” Richie knew his sarcasm level was hitting it's breaking point and Eddie was going to soon lose his patience with him.

“Don’t be a dick, Richie. I just didn’t think he was your type,” Eddie began to raise his voice slightly, getting up to confront Richie physically. Richie walked over towards the door, scoffing with a sarcastic smile.

“I am a dick, you know that by now, ” Richie tried to walk out the door, but Eddie pushed it shut, pushing against Richie as well.

“What the hell?”

“Fuck you, Richie. I’m just asking questions. It’s not my fault you run around screwing people in secrecy,” Eddie’s breath was fanning Richie’s chin and Richie suddenly felt the anger of ten men, knowing that Eddie was, in fact, the reason he needed so much sexual release.

The tension of yearning Eddie was so built up, Richie could hardly take it.

“It is your fault, you asshole,” Richie said in the passion of the moment, slightly pushing Eddie off of him.

Eddie’s mouth dropped as he laughed incredulously.

“My fault? Are you fucking insane? How is it my fault that you’re a horny bastard who shuts out his friends?” Eddie resisted being pushed and grabbed Richie’s shirt like he was gonna punch him. He might’ve if Richie didn’t mindlessly continue to expose himself.

“It’s always you, walking around thinking no one’s watching. Thinking it’s smart to wear all those tight, little shorts. That fucking stupid look on your face as if you don’t know what you're doing. I know exactly what you're doing, Kaspbrak. I know you know you’re pretty and you're hot with that blonde hair and that lipgloss. You’re a tease. So fuck you,” Richie could barely breathe, and he probably looked wild, crazy-eyed and breathless as he kept pushing Eddie away from him.

“You’re kidding me, right? What, blaming me for changing my look? Is this an attention game you’re playing?” Eddie snapped, angrier than before, as he fought against Richie’s body weight. Richie glared into Eddie’s face but did not answer him.

“What, you can’t compose yourself around bare legs and some makeup? Are you that desperate for sex that you can’t even handle a little-” Eddie couldn’t finish his sentence, for Richie’s lips silenced him.

The kiss was quick and rushed into a momentary peck, but sparks flew even just from those few seconds. The tension they built up between each other pushed Richie to the edge, and now Richie knew what strawberry lip gloss tastes like. The touch burned their lips, even when Richie pushed away in panic.

“I…” Richie started but didn’t finish, as he looked terrified. Instead, he ran, slamming his door behind him as he left Eddie standing in the doorway, his head lighter than a feather, his heart beating faster than a hummingbird’s wings, and a heat on his lips that felt like he had kissed a lighting bolt.


	6. I think it's strange you never knew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie comes back to the dorm after Trippy Trio's radio show after running out on Eddie earlier.  
> Eddie is still thinking about that kiss, so he decides to try to talk to Richie. 
> 
> SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Fade Into You by Mazzy Star

* * *

 

“This last song is dedicated to you,” The static voice of Richie drifted lovingly through the air. The others listened patiently, waiting for the last song to grace their ears. Eddie bit his lips, his heart thumping at imagining Richie was talking to Eddie.

“Dedicated to the one that’s always been, but never was. Mazzy Star, folks,” Richie sounded quiet and soft in his voice, and Eddie breathed in his aura like a breath of fresh air. Eddie should be angry with Richie, should feel upset that Richie had recklessly kissed him for reasons unknown, risking the stableness of their friendship.

However, as ‘Fade into You’ played dreamily into Stan and Richie’s living room, Eddie felt his lips tingle slightly as if they were remembering Richie’s lips of fire. The ghost of a kiss, one so quick and stupid, yet Eddie wanted more of it.

Richie had rushed out of this dorm room before Eddie could even move out of Richie’s bedroom. He didn’t return since the radio show started at 7 pm and he had bolted out around 6:30. Eddie went back into Richie and Stan’s room, laying down on Richie’s bed. He smiled into Richie’s cold pillow, breathing in Richie’s scent.

As the song ended, Eddie snapped back into reality as he heard Bev’s voice. He wasn’t paying attention to the words the redhead spoke, apologizing to her in his mind. But all he could think about was how firm Richie’s lips had been on his own, and how fear flashed through his pretty, dark eyes before he turned away.

The night continued with Stan and Ben talking about the movie ‘The Sandlot’. Stan was in stitches when Ben mentioned how dumb the boys must be.

“I love the movie, but, really? You lose a ball over a fence and they never knocked on the guy's door to ask for it back?” Ben was shaking his head with a humorous smile. Stan looked over at an insulted Bill.

“But they were scared to! The guy had a reputation for being crazy. Why would they knock on a crazy guy’s door, Ben?” Bill leaned forward, lips jutted out into a pout. Ben opened his mouth, looking like he would give in and agree it wasn’t logical for 12-year-olds to think like an adult, but Stan interrupted with a snort.

“Bill, you know it’s a dumb plot,” Stan rolled his eyes playfully, crossing his legs in the process. Ben shrugged, giving up on trying to choose which boy was right. Bill shot Stan the glare Eddie has only seen given to Richie when he cracks a bad joke or Georgie when he walks into their sleepovers unannounced.

“It’s a baseball movie about kids. How can you be such a cruel critic?” Bill pointed at him accusingly, but Stan seemed like the type of person to brush off being at gunpoint let alone Bill’s ego.

“You just think the lifeguard is hot, that’s why you like that movie, right?” Stan scoffed, lazily lifting a hand to shoo away the topic. Bill stuttered over a gasp and Stan’s name before Stan shut out the conversation completely.

“Hey Eddie, nice shirt,” Stan said suavely, suddenly looking Eddie’s way. Eddie let out a surprised ‘oh’, looking down at the pale yellow sweater he had on.

“Thanks, Stan. Nice face,” Eddie responded fondly with a grin, pulling his sleeves over his hands coyly.

“Are you serious, Stan? The lifeguard?” Bill exasperated, obviously stick stuck on the conversation Stan dismissed moments ago.

Stan smirked at the Denbrough boy knowingly. Ben and Eddie exchanged lost expressions, before smiling at each other at sharing the moment of confusion together.

“ You hear that, Bill? Eddie thinks I have a nice face,” Stan ignored Bill in a bland voice, but the smirk still lingered on the boy’s thin lips.

Bill’s face contorted in what Eddie would only describe as a mixture of befuddlement and embarrassment. The tips of Bill’s ears slowly turned scarlet as he bashfully looked away from Stan’s unwavering stare.

“He isn’t wrong, you are very handsome,” Ben quirked up, excited to add onto the compliment train they were all boarding.

Bill shifted in his seat rather strangely, like he was trying not to look at the others. Eddie looked at Stan, who took the turn to blush.

“Shush, Ben, you don’t have to say things that nice. But, thanks. It’s very motherly of you,” Stan composed himself enough to add that Uris sass.

Eddie watched Stan’s eyes flicker over at Bill once more, before looking back at Ben.

“No problem, son,” Ben joked, holding his hands lovingly to his heart.

“I would be better looking if I was a lifeguard, though,” Stan falsely sighed, as if he was disappointed, but Eddie didn’t miss the little peer Stan made at Bill.

It was like Stan was torturing Bill in some inside joke. Eddie couldn’t lie, it was entertaining.

Bill’s head shot up again in defense, throwing his arms up.

“Again, I don’t have the hots for Wendy Peffercorn!” Bill shouted helplessly, huffing in defeat when the others laughed at him.

The door swung open with a bang, and Mike bashfully looked at the four other boys.

“Woah, sorry guys. Forgot your door was so light,” Mike apologized, making his way inside.

The three boys sitting in the room bubbled down their laughter at Bill’s expense to greet Mike, following Bev and Richie. Eddie was still wearing an open-mouthed smile as his gaze connected with Richie’s. Richie tore his eyes away as quickly as they had landed on Eddie.

The movement made Eddie’s heart sink in a slow, yearning manner, wishing Richie would just grin at him like everything was normal.

But then again, kissing your best friend out of the blue wasn’t really what Eddie would label as normal.

Eddie watched Richie weave his way through the others to walk towards his room, excusing himself for a second. Eddie fought the urge to stand up from his spot on the carpet to follow him. He wasn’t sure it was the best idea to talk about the kiss at all.

In fact, Richie may think he was being cornered for answers, and the last thing Eddie wanted was to cause Richie to push him away more than it seemed he already was.

The gravitational pull he felt around Richie was hard to control, and so he fought against his better judgment and stood up to find Richie. He quickly greeted Bev and Mike before saying he needed to get something inside, a lie. Not a good one, like all Eddie’s lies.

They didn’t seem to notice his fib, and he slipped away up the hallway. The voices of the others drifted further and further as he ended up standing in the front of the bedroom door.

Eddie lifted his closed fist to knock, but his knock never came, due to the door swinging open to reveal Richie. The curly haired boy was surprised, if anything, standing still the second his eyes met Eddie’s. Eddie dropped his arm slowly, watching Richie clear his throat uncomfortably.

“Did you, um, need anything in here?” Richie’s voice sounded foreign to Eddie’s ears, realizing that even though he stood right in front of Richie, he’s never felt farther away.

Eddie wanted to tell Richie that, yes, he needed to kiss again. He wanted to rush up to Richie and slide his hands into those unruly curls, pulling his face to his. But he couldn’t tell Richie that. He panicked instead.

“Yeah, I need a pen,” Eddie lied straight through his teeth, pointing towards the room. Richie looked as emotionless as ever, looking at Eddie as if he were stunned.

“Oh, uh, sure,” Richie widened the door for Eddie to walk in, and Eddie squeezed his eyes shut in fear that Richie would hate him. He knows it’s a useless thought, but even though Richie was the one who kissed him, he feared that it was somehow all his fault.

He heard the door close, and he opened his eyes, relieved that he could now sulk in peace.  
As he huffed out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and his shoulders slumped as he looked towards Stan’s desk. He had to go back with a pen or Richie would be suspicious.

“In the draw,” Richie’s voice rose suddenly, and it caused Eddie to jump nearly 6 feet high in fear.

“Fuck!” He gasped, turning on his heels to see Richie leaning up against the closed door. Richie had his arms crossed and Eddie clutched his chest as he tried to calm down his irregular breathing.

“Jesus, Eddie,” Richie’s voice sounded like he was fighting off a laugh, but not the kind of fighting one does when they actually are happy. It was more like Richie fought it in a sour spite. It made Eddie’s chest pang in hurt. He wondered if Richie hated him or not if that kiss was the end of their seemingly unbreakable friendship.  
  
“I thought you left?” Eddie breathed out, eyes wide as he looked at how calm Richie seemed.

“I see,” Richie looked at Eddie in a way that made him feel like a stranger.

Eddie looked at the floor as his heaving finally diminished, and he heard movement by the door. He continued to look at the floor until he saw Richie’s shoes in view, causing Eddie to repress a shudder at the very thought of Richie being near again.

“Ed’s,” Richie’s voice was low and nervous like he was testing out what was okay and what wasn’t. Eddie mentally made a note that, yes, being this close was more than okay.

“Yeah?” His voice whispered like if his voice was any louder, someone would hear them even though the door was shut and the others were down the hall.

This was it. Richie would tell Eddie everything was okay, and not to worry about their little incident from early that night. Everything would be like before. Before Eddie knew what Richie tasted like before he knew what Richie felt like. Eddie would miss it, of course. But he would rather be secretly in love with someone who didn’t love him back than those Richie over revealing his true emotions.

“The pens are in the draw,” Richie nodded towards Stan’s desk, before looking away from Eddie and walking towards his own bed.

Eddie felt like he had been slapped but, nevertheless, he weakly smiled and slowly walked towards the draw. He bent down slightly to pull at the top draw until Richie spoke up.

“It’s the bottom one,”

Eddie began to grow angry, maybe not with Richie but with himself, for thinking everything could be the way it used to be. He was a fool to wish it.

Eddie sighed deeply before kneeling down to the lower draw, pulling it open. He eyed the perfectly placed pens, all in color coordination. He quickly grabbed a burgundy one before shutting the small door and standing back up. When he did, he hit Richie’s chest with his back.

He spun around to look at Richie looking down at his own feet.

“Richie?” Eddie asked as if it were a substitute for ‘What’s wrong?’. Richie looked up at Eddie’s face and their eyes connected.

“You know, I’m really sorry about before,” Richie’s voice went down an octave and Eddie wasn’t sure to be aroused or nervous.

“Before?” Eddie knew exactly what Richie meant, but he needed to hear the direct words. It needed to come straight from Richie’s mouth or Eddie wouldn’t be able to rest his mind.

“When I kissed you,” Richie’s voice didn’t change from its deep sound, and Eddie almost smiled. He didn’t, though. He kept his face blank, or at least tried, so Richie couldn’t read him like Richie was oh-too good at doing.

“Oh, that? Pftt, Richie, don’t worry about it,” Eddie awkwardly brushed off, shaking his head as a nervous laugh slipped out of his mouth. It wasn’t just nerves, though. Now that they were on the subject of kissing, it was giddiness.

“Seriously, Eddie. I shouldn’t have. I know it was fucked up. I just wasn’t thinking,” Richie vaguely explained, running a hand into his own hair anxiously. Eddie didn’t like the sound of it, how Richie made their kiss sound: Meaningless.

But, what did Eddie expect? Richie, to admit feelings that weren’t there?

“I didn’t mind,” Eddie murmured without thinking and due to the silence in the room, Richie heard him sound and clear.

Richie’s eyes strained on Eddie like he was waiting for Eddie to continue like he needed to hear more of what Eddie started.

“What?” Richie asked, almost pleading Eddie to finish his thought. But Eddie spoke before he thought, and he didn’t plan on explaining. His chances of being accepted seemed to get slimmer by the second.

“What? Nothing, I meant that it’s okay,” Eddie tried to cover up, but then Richie experimentally stepped closer to Eddie and Eddie felt like his feet were cemented to the ground.

“You didn’t mind?” Richie asked, looking down at the blonde boy with what Eddie thought looked like hope dimly sparkling in his dark eyes.  
Eddie did what Eddie did best when it came to a comeback: Attitude.

“Why, Richie? Did you mind?” Eddie sassed, raising an eyebrow and begging God that he looked confident while doing it. Because God knows that he was emotionally shrinking every minute Richie got closer.

Speaking of, Richie stepped another step into Eddie’s space.

“What if I didn’t?” Richie asked in a breathy way, the kind of way that made Eddie want to shiver again.

Eddie swears he saw Richie thickly swallow as if he were preparing for something. Another kiss? Eddie’s mind was ruined at the very idea, not being able to think properly when the vision of Richie on him appeared the clearest out of every other thought.

“Why did you kiss me, Richie?” Eddie questioned, as he felt Richie’s fingers play with the hem of his shirt. Eddie felt the tension between him and Richie grow hotter and fuzzier when Richie’s cool, thin fingers brushed underneath his shirt and against his bare lower abdomen.

“Why did you kiss back?” Richie shot back like this was some sort of game to out question the other. Eddie could play that forever if the Tozier boy wanted. But what Eddie really wanted were some real answers, the truth. He wanted it so badly, that he was willing to kiss Richie for a physical answer instead of a verbal one.

You can’t, his mind reminded him.

He couldn’t reveal himself if Richie wasn’t going to play fair.

“You called me a tease, Richie. What so teasing about me?” Eddie wasn’t sure if flirting with his best friend was the best way to out what was on Richie’s mind, but he sure as hell would give it a try.

He could always play off a flirty comment or two. What he couldn’t playoff was a kiss.

Richie stepped even further into his space, closing him in against Stan’s desk. The second Eddie's ass hit the desk, the pen dropped from his grip. 

Richie’s hand left the underneath of Eddie’s shirt and found its way grabbing his hips instead.

Eddie felt like he would stop breathing if Richie kissed him again, especially when the latter had him squared between a desk and Richie’s own pelvis.

“You’re teasing me right now, aren’t you?” Richie answered and it wasn’t good enough for Eddie. Eddie wanted to hear more about how frustrating it was for Richie to see Eddie prancing around in sexy clothing and pretty makeup.

He wanted to hear what Richie revealed before, the things Eddie doesn’t remember clearly enough to enjoy. He needs to hear those things again, so he could understand better than he had early.

“Richie, friends don’t kiss each other. Why did you kiss me?” Eddie was trying with all his might not to groan in pleasure when Richie put pressure on his hip bones, a very sensual place for Eddie.

Richie must’ve noticed the way Eddie’s knees faltered because Eddie leaned his hands down against Stan’s desk to keep his balance.

“Because I wanted to,” Richie stated like it was the easiest thing in the world to say. Eddie could never picture himself speaking those words aloud, he would die before kissing became a casual past time.

Eddie gave Richie a look briefly before the hickies on Richie’s neck called Eddie back to reality.

Eddie tried to push him back, but it was barely a nudge because Eddie didn’t wholeheartedly want Richie to back away.

“What is this, an attempt at a hookup?” Eddie laughed at himself for asking, because he knew the second he said it, it was stupid to bring up. It may just be the pit in his chest that screamed jealousy every time he caught sight of the purple little marks littered on Richie’s neck.

Richie might’ve been hurt, but Eddie couldn’t tell since Richie was looking at him the same way he had been since he began to lock Eddie against the wooden desk.

“It can anything you want it to be,” Richie said, and Eddie felt his heart stop as he heard how serious Richie sounded. Serious Richie made Eddie dizzy. The atmosphere shifted from worried and curious to a cloudy haze of interest.

Richie’s eyes watched him like a hawk, searching for any reason to call it off as a joke. But Eddie felt his body react before his mind could tell him no. He sunk down and let gravity pull him back to a relaxed stance. He had been stiff and ridged for nearly the entire conversation, and now that Richie saw Eddie’s shoulders drop back to normal, it was like they understood what was going to happen. It was as if Eddie’s body was telling Richie ‘I want it to be something’.

Eddie’s eyes flickered to Richie’s mouth and when he glanced back up to Richie’s eyes they looked darker than usual, aroused, and hungry.

Eddie let himself shutter as he inhaled quickly. Richie trailed his hand off of Eddie’s hip and began to fiddle with the hem of Eddie’s sweater again. He leaned down into Eddie’s space, and Eddie nearly rolled his eyes at how good it felt to feel Richie’s mouth brush against his ear.

“If you tell me to stop, I’ll stop,” Richie promised sweetly, and it was endearing, yet Eddie felt unbelievably turned on. There was something about how Richie’s promise made Eddie curious about not stopping. What if Eddie didn’t want to stop him?

Eddie realized his breathing had picked up, and he was sure as hell that Richie noticed as well.

“I’ll only continue if you tell me to,” Richie whispered gently into his ear once again. He had stopped playing with the bottom of Eddie’s sweater as if to indicate he was being truthful. One little word would end this all, Richie would let go of his hold on Eddie and walk right out the door if Eddie didn’t want this. What exactly would happen if Eddie told him it was okay? Only another kiss? Or something more serious? Eddie’s head was light from thinking of all the possibilities.

“Do you want me?” Richie asked in a hot breath and Eddie adored the way it caused a heat to rise up Eddie’s neck and lower stomach. Eddie’s head heavily fell back, revealing his neck and Richie’s soft face skimmed against his neck while it dropped back.

“Yes,” Eddie whispered like it was prayer and Richie’s hold on his sweater returned.


	7. I wanna be your fantasy, maybe you could be mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie and Eddie become more than friends, and less than boyfriends. 
> 
> SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Kiss by Prince
> 
> WARNING!!!: SMUT ENSUES.

* * *

 

“Okay,” Richie replied softly, and Eddie could’ve sworn he heard some sort of nervousness linger in his tone as he played with the soft yellow sweater.

Richie lifted his head to look into Eddie’s eyes, and Eddie never felt as vulnerable as he did under Richie’s lazy gaze.

“Whenever you want to stop, tell me,” Richie reassured, and even though the furthest Eddie had ever gotten sexually was making out, he felt impatient.

“Okay,” Eddie said like he was under a spell.   
“Okay,” Richie shifted in uncertainty, biting his lip in thought as he helplessly looked into Eddie’s eyes.

Eddie began to wonder where the Richie from High School was, the rumored Richie;

The Richie that fucked people so hard that all they could do was suck hickies onto his neck, praying for a distraction while Richie thrusted them to the stars.

Eddie had heard so many rumors about how great Richie was in bed.

Of course, the rumors were never talked about within the Losers, they respected Richie’s personal space enough not to ask if it were true or not.

But Eddie noticed that whenever Richie’s porcelain neck was covered in hickies, another rumor about Richie’s sex life was spread around. Where was that rough and rowdy Richie that he’s heard of all throughout his High School years? Did he even exist or was he just a rumor?

“I’m going to tell Stan to sleep in yours and Bill’s room tonight. Tell Bill you promised to help me study all night for an English test tomorrow,” Richie’s plan was impeccable, Eddie wasn’t too keen about lying to Bill since he sucked at it. But Bill thought the best of people, in an almost naive way. Surely he was the easiest to lie to.

But the whole night? Eddie wasn’t sure if that implied sex, but he wasn’t even able to take Richie gripping his hip bones let along other things.

“Good idea,” Eddie agreed as the musk of Richie’s sweet cologne disappeared now that he backed away and made his way for the door.

15 minutes later, all the Losers except Richie and Eddie were gone. They all were too busy to worry about their absences, though every few minutes someone else would wonder what was happening in the bedroom.

They thought it was nothing since Richie and Eddie probably got caught up in a conversation or a comic of some sort. The two of them missing was harmless when they all knew where they were.

Bev had to stop Bill from checking on them, knowing they must be talking in private if they weren’t out here talking about it. Bill shook off his curiosity with a smile and got back to some talk about how cool the music for tonight show was.

No one suspected a thing, especially since Richie had recently hooked up with Daniel.

It was like they expected a sleepover of some sort. Stan wasn’t fond of the idea since it was a Monday, but he complied once Bill mentioned that they could go back to his room and watch Indiana Jones.

Now that the dorm house was empty, Eddie had retreated back into Richie and Stan’s room instinctively. It was almost too quiet and Eddie wasn’t sure if that made him jittery or calm.

“Eddie, are you sure you want this?” Richie was pressed flat against his closed door. Eddie was sprawled across Richie’s bed, leaning on one arm as he watched Richie search his eyes for consent.

If Eddie was looking in on the situation, it would seem as though Richie was the inexperienced one in the room instead of Virgin Eddie himself.

“This?” Eddie asked since the question had been reappearing in his thought process quite a few times. He wanted to know what Richie meant by it. Was it their relationship changing forever? Was he talking solely about the things they might do? Eddie needed to know.

  
“Yeah, this. What is going to happen if you say it’s okay,” Richie gestured between them. Eddie nodded slowly as some sort of understanding sunk in, and he knew that if he wanted to stop, Richie would in a heartbeat.

“I want it,” Eddie spoke, trying to come off as confident and casual, but his eyes betrayed him and Richie knew it.

Every step Richie took towards the bed made Eddie’s facade falter, and he became keenly aware of the lusty look in Richie’s eyes once more. It made Eddie sit up and cross his legs, waiting like prey for his predator to strike.

As Richie got to the bed, Eddie felt a wave of nerves spread through him, feeling the weight of Richie on the mattress.

“We don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do,” Richie murmured softly as they sat across from one another. Eddie nodded, inhaling deeply. Richie scooched closer to Eddie so that their knees were touching. The simple touch set Eddie’s body ablaze.   
“We’ll start off small,” Richie put Eddie’s mind to rest knowing that Richie wouldn’t just take him to third base right off the bat.

“Start off small,” Eddie repeated, nodding in agreement. Richie licked his pouty lips and shook his hands to try and literally shake off his nerves. Eddie sat completely still, watching as Richie finish his strange preparation, finally wiping the sweat off the palms of his hands.

  
Richie looked into Eddie’s eyes desperately, as if hoping to find doubt in which they would stop whatever this was and just watch T.V instead. Eddie wouldn’t budge, he wanted to let Richie know he wasn’t the same young kid in cartoon shirts anymore. He wasn’t fragile like he seemed when they were 13. His mother didn’t choose for him anymore. He was an adult who could make his own decisions.

“Um,” Richie hummed out, unsure where to start. The moment it started, Richie knew it would be a place of no return. Even if Eddie stopped it, they wouldn’t be the same. And he was terrified that Eddie would regret it once it began.

Eddie sat straighter so Richie would just get on with it, he really wanted to. He needed to root Richie on. Eddie knew the instant they left that thick tension to tell the others to leave that Richie wasn’t this calculated and careful with his hookups.

He knew Richie, and Richie was forever worrying about poor, little Eddie. Eddie wasn’t sure if Richie’s hesitation bothered him or not.

“Kiss me, Richie,” Eddie said bluntly, and he felt his chest rise in satisfaction when Richie’s eyes widened at Eddie’s eagerness. It made the Tozier boy’s face to heat up a pretty orangey-pink color, before gaining sight of his objective.

Richie moved closer to Eddie, slotting their knees between each other so he could get a better reaching point. Eddie leaned closer, lifting himself slightly off his ass to bump chests with Richie. The contact was warm and comforting.

Richie’s eyes drooped in a hazy lust as Eddie’s face was merely an inch away from his, looking back and forth in Eddie’s eyes one last time before his dark gaze fell to Eddie’s mouth. Richie wanted nothing more than to kiss those strawberry lips once again.

Richie tilted his head experimentally, his eyes ever-so-slightly open to watch Eddie’s eyes flutter shut. It only felt right to give the boy what he wants.

The same tingling heat that Eddie felt a few hours earlier was back, and Richie’s lips lingered on his softly.

The pressure was different than before, it was focused and purposeful. There wasn’t any movement in Richie’s lips before.

But now, as Richie’s skillful hands slide to Eddie’s hips, Richie opened his mouth. Eddie blindly followed suit, parting his lips as well. Richie tugged Eddie closer as his head turned to the side to slot their lips together.

Eddie hummed contently at the feeling, and he felt Richie smile into the kiss. Richie gave another opened mouth kiss before pulling his head away, a small sucking noise sounded between the two.

Eddie slowly opened his eyes to see Richie watching him, but not how he had before. Richie looked secure and ready for more. His eyes had a sparkle to them Eddie has yet seen in the Tozier boy.

“Why’d you stop?” Eddie asked mumbled in a daze, as his eyes flickered back down at Richie’s pink lips. Richie laughed, and Eddie expected him to make a crude joke that deserved an eye roll.

But Richie stayed quiet, the kind smile he had worn seconds ago gone as a smirk crossed the boy's lips. Eddie found himself cowardly leaning back, not knowing what to expect of Richie Tozier anymore.

Richie quickly pecked Eddie, which still felt like the first time, sending sparks from Eddie’s mouth.

“Rich,” Eddie whispered as Richie grabbed the underneath of Eddie’s thigh, pulling it upwards and causing Eddie to fall on his back with a small ‘oof’.

“Eds,” Richie replied mockingly, winking in a way that made it hard to tell whether it was a joke or serious. Eddie silently watched Richie tower over him.

“We could keep it up with those cute kisses of yours,” Richie said, in a tone that made it sound like it was meant to be continued.

“Or?” Eddie filled in Richie’s blank, and Richie traced small zig-zag’s into Eddie’s lower thigh.

“Or we could take another step. Baby steps, sure, but we could go to the next level if you’re ready,” Richie made sure Eddie had a choice, and Eddie felt his heartbeat quicken once again.

“We can keep going,” Eddie said, and he wondered why his voice sounded so high and breathy.

Richie's eyes stayed glued on Eddie’s face as he immediately took action, grabbing very close to Eddie’s ass. Richie was now in the middle of Eddie’s parted legs, and Eddie could only flush at the feeling of Richie’s big hands holding his thighs up as if it were nothing.

“Is this okay?” Richie asked cockily, taking note of Eddie’s expression. Eddie nodded, not trusting his voice at this point. What the hell were they doing? Eddie wasn’t sure where this would lead, but he liked it.

Richie let go of Eddie’s legs and fell forward, one arm barracking each side of Eddie’s head. Richie was close enough to kiss, and Eddie tried to lean up. Richie watched the shorter boy and backed away when Eddie almost reached his lips. Eddie made a noise of protest, but Richie quickly made up for it.

“If things get too much, tell me,” Richie said in a voice that was as thick as honey, and Eddie just let out a weak ‘Uh huh’.

Richie leaned down towards Eddie, and Eddie closed his eyes once again, but he felt Richie’s face graze past his own and the black curls tickle his cheek. Eddie opened his eyes in confusion but felt Richie’s lips mouth at Eddie’s neck. Eddie gasped at the sensation, never been kissed there before.

Richie only kissed small, sweet kisses in the curve of Eddie’s tan skin, but Eddie felt butterflies bang around within his tummy. Richie kissed up from his neck, slower than necessary, all the way to the corner of Eddie’s mouth.

Richie pulled back slightly so their noses brushed against one another, to see Eddie’s approval. Eddie closed his eyes expectantly.

Richie’s kisses were very similar to the ones he gave Eddie before, just slightly faster. Eddie could handle this, it was so comforting and calm that Eddie could do it in his sleep.

But then Richie’s head tilted and when Eddie expected the same kisses as a moment ago, Richie’s tongue quickly licked into Eddie’s mouth, touching his own.   
Eddie gasped louder than before, but another noise bubbled up his throat. Eddie stopped it midway before Richie could hear how much a small tongue swipe could break Eddie apart. Though, he felt like Richie already knew it had sounded.

Richie slowed down, opening his mouth to slowly welcome Eddie’s tongue. Eddie shyly stuck his tongue out, just a small amount, but with their mouths connected it rubbed against Richie’s. Richie moaned into Eddie’s mouth as they picked up the pace of their new step.

Eddie felt a strike of arousal hit him at the sound, and he felt himself getting hard. He hoped Richie couldn’t feel it, but since Richie was pressed so close, he was sure that Richie was aware of the problem in Eddie’s pants.

Richie shifted them as they continued making out, and suddenly Eddie was hyper-aware of Richie’s dick pressing right into his ass. Eddie made a small noise at the contact, even though pants were still being worn, it was a huge step to take.

“Fuck, Eddie,” Richie mumbled into Eddie’s mouth, as Eddie gripped onto Richie’s biceps tightly. Eddie turned his head away to breathe, and also to relax himself with being so aroused and so close to Richie.

Richie left his cozy spot between Eddie’s legs, and Eddie’s head snapped to make sure he hadn’t turned Richie off, but Richie hadn’t gone far. He was laying down like Eddie was, right next to him.

“Come’er,” Richie’s voice was deep and groggy as if he had just woken up. Eddie didn’t have to be told twice. Richie held Eddie’s waist, guiding him to a certain spot, lips red from kissing.

Eddie watched Richie, hypnotized in the way Richie’s features looked when he was horny. Eddie spent endless nights in High School writhing under his own hand, closing his eyes to try and picture Richie’s face, hands, cock-

“There,” Richie bit his lip and pushed Eddie’s hips down and right on top of Richie’s groin. Eddie’s eyes widened, feeling the shape through the pants and into the curve of his ass.

“Richie,” Eddie was going to forget how to breathe, and he hadn’t brought his Asthma inhaler. It was all too much, but not enough all at once.

“Is that alright?” Richie asked, furrowing his brow in a mix of worry and lust.

Eddie shifted slightly, about to answer when Richie cleared his throat loudly, try to suppress a groan that fought its way out of his throat anyway.

Eddie arched a dark eyebrow, putting both his hands on Richie’s chest. He wanted to test something, and if he was right, he would probably orgasm just from the outcome.

Richie looked like he just woke up, dazed and confused, and then Eddie rolled his hips downwards.

Eddie watched Richie’s head drop onto the pillow and eyes roll back in pleasure. He was going to cut his lip from all that biting, Eddie thought in excitement.

Eddie moved again, in which Richie gasped, grabbing hold to Eddie’s hips for support.

“Ed’s, I- I, shit, wait,” Richie stumbled out in breaths and groans as Eddie kept rubbing down against Richie’s boner. To no avail, Richie’s pleas went unanswered by a panting Eddie, grinding down on Richie in a way that left the Tozier boy moaning and gasping at the friction.

Richie heard Eddie release a small giggle at how Richie fell apart underneath him when Richie made a noise Eddie could only describe as a growl.

With a loud yelp, Eddie was flipped over and onto his back, and Richie was between his legs once again.

Richie had one hand up Eddie’s sweater and another gripping Eddie’s hair as they kissed furiously. Eddie even had his lip bitten on by the curly haired boy, who seemed to have been pushed off the edge.

Richie sucked along Eddie’s neck harshly, licking stripes on them if Eddie gasped at the bites. Richie suddenly stopped, head still buried in Eddie’s neck. Eddie laid there, breathing heavily, waiting for Richie to continue.

He felt the hand that was grabbing at his torso to dance it’s way to his lower abdomen, and as Richie’s finger circled around Eddie’s shorts zipper, Richie started placing those soft kisses down Eddie’s neck again.

“Can I…?” Richie left the question unfinished and Eddie didn’t care what he had planned for the ending of it. At that moment, Eddie was all his and Richie could do whatever the hell he wanted. Eddie didn’t mind it at all.

“Yes, God, yes,” Eddie quickly answered, his hands gripping whatever handful of bedsheet his hands could find.

Richie kissed down, all the way to Eddie’s collarbone, and then scooted his body down to be at level with Eddie’s dick.

Oh.

Richie undid the button to Eddie’s pants faster than Eddie could do himself, and his brain was malfunctioning at the thought of Richie giving him a blow job.

Richie discarded Eddie’s pants with the help of Eddie raising his legs to shimmy them off. Richie threw them over his shoulder in a ball without looking.

Eddie would’ve laughed at Richie’s tunnel-vision determination, except for the fact that Richie’s big, pale hands were holding Eddie’s legs up and open, sliding Eddie closer to him. Eddie’s breath faltered when Richie’s head dipped down to pull his boxer band down by the teeth, releasing it with a snap.

Richie grinned up at him, and Eddie, for a moment, realized the situation at hand.

The grin of his best friend since he could remember.

His best friend, who caressed his tongue on his. His best friend, who Eddie’s desperately rubbed against.

This was Richie, and Eddie felt his chest swell up at the mere realization that the Richie who’s hands were slowly working their way to his dick, was the same Richie who snorted his strawberry milkshake through a straw during the summer on the account of a dare.

Eddie felt like they had to be two separate people, but here he was, looking at Eddie like Eddie was the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

The loud-mouthed jokester Richie who counted the ceiling tiles instead of paying attention in class was the same sexy fucker that was circling his delicate fingers around Eddie’s crotch.

Richie pulled the opening of Eddie’s boxers, flickering his eyes to make sure Eddie was still ready for it. Eddie nodded, his eyebrows pulling together in anticipation.

The moment Richie grabbed Eddie’s dick, Eddie jumped at the feeling. He had never been touched before, not by anyone except himself. Sure, he’s kissed people, but not the way Richie had kissed him.

He remembers dreaming of this, those sticky nights, beating himself off with Richie’s face in mind, imagining his hand was Richie’s. It never felt as good as it did now, the unfamiliar touch of Richie’s big hand made him sink into himself, covering his face with his hands in a heat.

Richie tugged a few times, causing Eddie to moan loudly through his hands, the sound becoming muffled. Richie bit back a smile, he didn’t want to embarrass Eddie any further than he already was.

And besides, he was also too preoccupied with how hot Eddie look right now. He let go of Eddie’s dick and replaced it with his mouth instead.

Eddie started sweating not even 2 minutes into the blow job, some of his blonde bangs sticking to his forehead as Richie’s warm and wet mouth carefully glided up and down on his cock. Eddie was pink in the face and had a flush forming over his chest, as his whiny moans got more uncontrollable.

Richie made the mistake of looking up at Eddie, but boy, was it a beautiful mistake. His normally tan face was flushed, eyebrows screwed together in pleasure, mouth open in ecstasy. Richie moaned at such a godly sight, the vibration circling around Eddie’s dick.

Eddie cried out at how sensitive the rumbling sound made him feel, and with heaving breaths, hazily peered down at Richie. His pale, sunken cheeks highlighted his cheekbones even more than usual since his lips were wrapped around Eddie.

The slick wetness made Eddie’s body viciously shake and his nerves rapidly catch fire, spreading everywhere. Eddie’s brows knitted together in a desperate manner, biting his lip as Richie slowed his pace for a moment, pulling his tongue up the shaft and simultaneously sucking.

Eddie released the harsh grasp he had on Richie’s purple bed sheets, and they involuntarily tangled into the messy, black curls below him. Every time Richie twisted his pretty lips on his cock, Eddie instinctively pulled the black curls, causing Richie to groan in encouragement.

“F-fuck, Rich, I’m...I’m gonna!” Eddie wheezed out an unfinished plea of mercy like he had run a mile, sweat sheening over his entire body. He was retreating his hips back and down towards the bed as if trying to pull Richie off of him.

He didn’t want to cum like this, especially when it was their first time doing anything sexual.

He couldn’t cum like this. Richie would surely see him as the hopeless virgin he truly is.

Nevertheless, Richie’s hands looped around his thighs, thumb and pointer holding his hip bones in a way to force Eddie to lay still. Eddie’s voice was growing louder and higher pitched, blushing from the noises Richie was able to draw out from his strained throat.

Richie’s head bobbed faster than it had before, and as Richie moaned one last time from Eddie’s ever-tightening fingers tugging at his curls, Eddie felt himself nearing the edge.

Eddie watched how skillful Richie’s mouth engulf him, swirling his tongue in all the right places without trying too hard. Eddie watched Richie pop off his dick, saliva connecting the bruising red lips and soft, pink tongue to Eddie’s cock.

“Holy shit, Eddie. I may just do this to you every time you get too angry,” Richie spoke briefly, peering up at Eddie with a gaze overcome in lust.

Even though it was said with a twinge of humor, Eddie couldn’t focus on anything except the sound of his raspy voice and the way he looked.

Eddie felt like he was stuck in a dream, his eyes barely being able to stay open from how fucking good it felt, and how good Richie looked on his knees. He looked so lude, with his lightly freckled face, red from overworking himself.

Eddie couldn’t hold any longer after seeing the image he’s daydreamed about since the end of middle school, and a few moments after Richie’s lips sunk back down on his, Eddie finally came.

Eddie’s body shook at how sensitive it felt to be sucked dry while cumming. He never shook on an orgasm before, and he didn’t think it was something to tell Richie, either. Richie coughed and gagged for a millisecond, Eddie would’ve missed it if his own moan hadn’t faltered. Richie surprised Eddie when he swallowed every drop that ended up in his mouth, and Eddie watched the few streaks of white end up on his chin.

Before Eddie could warn in disgust of his own bodily fluids, Richie’s tongue reached to wipe it up before it got too far.

Eddie couldn’t help but feel like this resembled a virgin going to a hooker to lose his virginity. A boy who was bound to cum from just a few minutes of mouth, and another boy who seemingly knew every rope around sex.

It made Eddie feel insecure, how much better Richie was in bed than him. He worried if Richie enjoyed it at all, and then remembered Richie hadn’t come yet.

Eddie’s hand reached for Richie’s zipper, but a pale hand gently stopped him, and instead helped Eddie fix his underwear so that he was covered once again.

Eddie sat up completely now, worrying that Richie had seen Eddie’s preview, and he was no longer interested. Eddie would hate himself if the only thing in the way of them being together was how shitty Eddie was with sex. Did he not want Eddie anymore?

Despite his worst fears, Richie sat there staring at Eddie like he was an angel, a warmth lit lowly in his eyes like a flickering candle at night.

“Why are you so fucking hot, Kaspbrak?” The words and way Richie had exhaled it out like he had been burned created a sense of calm rush over Eddie’s senses. Richie liked it. Richie thinks he’s hot. Richie. Richie fucking Tozier thinks he is hot.

“Shut up, you asshat,” Eddie knew his whole face was nothing but shock and blush, but he tried his best to keep his giddiness to himself. For a relaxing moment, Eddie was content with life. He finally felt pure bliss, knowing Richie was attracted to him enough to blow him and even tell him afterward that he was hot.

Everything was okay, for just a moment.

That is, until, Eddie remembered Daniel.

And he remembers Richie calling this a hookup.

What he doesn’t remember is Richie telling him he has feelings for Eddie.

He never called Eddie the love of his life, all like Eddie had hoped for.

Eddie almost felt like a fool who played himself. Of course, Richie was horny and needed to release some frustration. How could Eddie have been so blind to think this was romantic in any way?

“Richie, what are we?” Eddie asked but immediately regretted it since the very voicing of his thoughts made Eddie look clingy and wishing for a relationship. Sure, Eddie was clingy for Richie to stay and be his boyfriend, but he didn’t want Richie to know it.

Richie’s smile faded into a fine line, and Eddie suddenly can’t picture such a melancholy mouth sucking anyone off, even though only minutes ago that’s exactly what it had been doing. It made Eddie’s stomach form a pit of anxiety, waiting for the Black-haired boy to respond.

“Like you said before, a hook-up. Right?” Richie’s voice was somber, hoping to God that Eddie disagreed. He hoped with all his might that Eddie felt more than an erection, that he actually felt feelings. Richie kept his cool, his face blank as Eddie’s deep brown eyes search his own for the answer.

“Right,” Eddie lied, not sure what Richie wanted. He’d rather have this one moment, this one special time with Richie than mess it all up with his emotions.

Richie’s heart ached like he’d been shot in the chest. But, Richie didn’t fail to tuck away his true reaction and flashed Eddie a full grin.

“You were the best I’ve ever had,” Richie winked, trying to push away the horrid feeling within him. If Richie didn’t do something fast to distract himself, he was sure to get teary eyed. He felt as if Eddie must be sexually frustrated, and that’s all it was. Richie was Eddie’s Daniel. A person to release with, not love.

“Thanks, you were my only,” Eddie slipped, his mid-smile suddenly frowned, looking at Richie like he had accidentally spilled a secret. Richie didn’t know Eddie was a virgin, but he could’ve guessed it if he had to.

Eddie didn’t ever date anyone publically, and he didn’t seem like the type of person to fuck just anyone.

However, Eddie had messed around with Richie minutes ago, so maybe Richie really didn’t know Eddie as well as he thought he did.

“You really never did...anything with anyone before?” Richie tried to carefully piece together his question since Eddie looked as if he were one wrong word away from closing himself off.

“Not really, just, um, kissing,” Eddie shifted on Richie’s bed in embarrassment, and Richie felt an overwhelming feeling of pride.

He was the only one to touch Eddie like he had, to see Eddie the way he had. The blooming in his chest became too much to contain, and Richie itched to capture those shy lips into a sweet and gentle kiss. However, Richie wasn’t sure if Eddie would mind.

“Eddie?” Richie almost didn’t recognize his own voice, yielding and nervous. Eddie pulled his knees to his chest as they made eye contact, and Eddie’s eyes had conventionally fallen to look at Richie’s lips somewhere during their staring contest after a few moments of silence.

Richie took it as a sign to rush forward, sliding his hands up Eddie’s jaw and into that pretty, blonde hair. Richie’s plump lips pushed into Eddie’s, fast yet so calculated.

Their lips were burning once again, sending shivers running down Eddie’s spine.

Eddie’s exclamation was muffled by sweetness, and they began to tip backward, sprawling across the bed.

As the kisses tiered in intensity, Eddie told Richie between breathy kisses something that would change everything for the two forever.

“We can’t tell anyone,” Eddie’s voice was strained from the heat of the open-mouthed kisses, and Richie’s towering body over his own.

Eddie didn’t want this to be a one-time thing. He wanted more, and this made Richie’s heart heal just a little bit at the very thought of being wanted in some way by Eddie.

“It’ll be our secret,” Richie whispered hotly into Eddie’s mouth, and Eddie finally let himself give in to the pleasure and comfort of Richie’s promise and touch.   
‘Our secret’ sounded more romantic than it should’ve to Eddie’s ears, but he relished in imagination that Richie meant it the way Eddie heard it.

It was their own secret, all the blueberry-flamed kisses, the barely-there touches; they were the only two in the world in these moments.

They both were blind to it, but each boy secretly kissed with love that night. They gazed with admiration. They touched with passion. They both were chasing a dream meanwhile, it was truly a reality.

And when they went to sleep, they allowed themselves to indulge in their desires. Richie prayed that Eddie had cuddled onto his chest because he wanted to hear his heartbeat. Eddie hoped that Richie held him close because he never wanted to let go.

They would both be correct, if only they could see from the outside looking in. 


	8. Hold me now, warm my heart, stay with me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie and Eddie continue to meet up in secrecy, but there is a little bump in the road. 
> 
> SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Hold Me Now by the Thompson Twins

* * *

 

  
“Wanna go to the movies tonight? That ‘Bronx Tale’ movie is out,” Bill asked the lot of them, looking around the room for an answer as he looked up from his comic book. They were all hanging out in Stan and Richie’s room on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the day was October 2nd, 1993. The first month of school past quickly as they all adjusted to classes and time schedules.

The second Bill had asked about going to the movies, Eddie’s eyes shot to Richie. The curly haired boy had been in mid-sip of his coke can. The dark brown eyes connected with Eddie’s light brown ones. Eddie knew all the other Losers going to the movie would give Eddie and Richie alone time. He just wanted to know if Richie wanted to see the movie or not.

“I heard it was good from Eric,” Stan replied, not looking up from his algorithm textbook. Eddie watched Bill’s face tighten into a small scowl, before looking back down at his comic.

“Eric saw it already?” Bill’s voice sounded as if he was pouting, and Eddie knew Bill must not like the Eric kid Stan had brought up. All Eddie knew about Eric was that he was on Stan and Bill’s baseball team. Stan mentions him every now and again, much to Bill’s dismay.

Stan shot Bill a hard gaze from over his textbook, legs crossed in a similar manner to a woman waiting for her hair to be done at a salon, magazine in hand.

“He saw it after practice on Thursday. He asked me to go, but I knew you wanted to see it so I declined,” Stan nonchalantly admitted to being asked out and turning it down for none-other than Bill himself.

Eddie watched Bill’s big, blue eyes look up at Stan in amazement. It seemed strange to Eddie, that Bill was so surprised Stan saved the movie for the Losers. Wouldn’t any of them turn someone else down? Stan smiled smugly at Bill’s response before looking back at his book.

“I’m in, sounds pretty interesting, with all Mafia stuff. I heard it talks about race issues back in the ’60s, too,” Mike added with a grin, his arm stretched out behind Bev, who was busy concentrating on her outfit sketches for class on Monday.

“I love when history meets action,” Ben agreed, smiling over at Mike from the other side of Bev.

“Almost finished with this piece, so I’m in, too,” Bev’s voice rose in an almost monotone manner as if having any other tone will screw up her steady hand holding the pencil.

Eddie’s eyes returned to Richie, who already had his eyes on him. Richie rose his eyebrows in question, nodding towards Bill. Eddie knew Richie was asking if he wanted to go see the movie. Eddie thought for a moment, before shaking his head sheepishly.

Richie bit back a smile, slightly winking at Eddie as if to say ‘No problem’.

Eddie fought a goofy smile, before looking away.

“Damn, Denbrough, you chose the worst day. I need to study for my English quiz coming up and Eddie promised me he’d help,” Richie leaned back casually, taking another swig of his Coke as Bill frowned at Richie and Eddie, before shrugging.

Eddie wishes he was as smooth of a liar as the Tozier boy. I would make life much easier.

“Damn, wanna reschedule for tomorrow then?” Bill politely offered and reassured with a smile.

“No need, buddy boy, I don’t wanna stop all the fun,” Richie whisked away the thought, waving his hand at Bill humbly.

“Besides, we have a team meeting tomorrow evening Bill. Remember?” Stan’s emphasized the last word, raising an eyebrow at Bill. It reminded Eddie of the way he and Richie had silently communicated about going to the movies or not. He wasn’t sure why, but Bill swallowed thickly before flustering out a quick, “Oh, right,”.

“No worries, Bill. You guys can tell me and Eddie all about it later,” Richie spoke to Bill but was looking right at Eddie. The Tozier boy wore a smirk on those plump lips Eddie wished to kiss that very instant.

Instead of giving in to his desire, due to all the friends that surrounded them, Eddie widened his eyes in a warning manner. Richie was close to blowing their cover from just that stupid, sexy smirk. Richie didn’t seem to get the message and continued to stare mercilessly into Eddie’s eyes.

Eddie could’ve sworn he saw Bev staring at him, but when he looked she was mindlessly grinning at her drawing instead.

He loved his friends dearly and would love to go see a movie, but he’d rather lay down with Richie right now. He needed to get his fill while he still can before Richie ditches him for another.

Since the first night of alleged ‘studying’, Eddie and Richie became a very complicated ‘we’.

It had already been nearly two weeks since Richie and Eddie started their little-untitled relationship, and it was all fun and games... for now.

Eddie knew that soon enough, their secret meetings would either be exposed or ruined by the ever-growing feelings in Eddie. However, they haven’t been caught or suspected, at least knowingly.

They haven’t had sex yet. Though, Eddie was starting to question if Richie took it slow with all his other hookups. What was Richie, a gentle fuck-buddy? Is that even a thing?

Eddie hated to be thought of just a quick way for release, but Eddie was pretending to do the same. He also hated how caring Richie seemed when they did stuff. It made it easy to forget that Richie isn’t his boyfriend.

Eddie, of course, liked the heat and fire between the sheets with Richie. He liked the way Richie moaned while sucking Eddie's dick.

He liked the way Richie’s big hands held his thighs in place when they made out feverishly.

There were very few things in Eddie’s life more enjoyable than those moments.

One of those few things was how peaceful and trusting Richie’s face looked when he fell asleep next to Eddie.

It was the way Richie gently kissed Eddie’s lips after they finished, almost being too affectionate with someone he only intended to sleep with.

It was the way Richie gazed at Eddie when they hung out with the Losers, a knowing smile when he caught Eddie staring for too long.

Eddie was falling deeper into the rabbit hole that was Richie Tozier.

He began to fantasize that all the love songs played during Trippy Trio’s shows were dedicated to him.

He prayed that Richie’s softness was not pity, but love.

He wished he and Richie were not dirty secrets to each other, but lovers.

He wanted to hold Richie’s hand when they walked to class. He wanted to take Richie on drive-through-movie dates. He wanted to tell Richie that he loved him.

But Eddie couldn’t do that. If he did, he’d be more of a fool than he already was.

The Losers all left around 7 PM for the 7:20 PM movie, and that gave Eddie approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes alone with Richie. It seemed like enough time to fool around with Richie, so he wasn’t complaining.

Eddie stayed put on the couch, even after the last of his other friends left for the showing. He tried to look as unsuspicious as possible as he pretended to read Richie’s English textbook and bid the others farewell.

When the door shut, Eddie looked up from the hardcover book to see Richie walking into the kitchen area to get himself a glass of water, dark eyes watching Eddie until he turned to retrieve a cup.

Richie wasn’t the type to bum-rush people into anything, especially when it came to initiating something physical.

“Need anything? Water? Apple juice?” Richie’s humorous voice broke the silence between the two and Eddie couldn’t help the skipping of his heart.

Not only was it nerves, which seem to never disappear no matter how many times the two of the boys got handsy.

It was also the sheer thought of Richie asking if he wanted a drink that got Eddie all giddy. He likes to pretend Richie cares for him in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Eddie shook his head, denying Richie’s offer. Richie was gulping down all the water from his glass when their eyes connected. Richie’s dark brown orbs had a twinkle in them that he’s come to recognize.

It happened every time they took a break from kissing, or after they finished their escapades. It’s one of Eddie’s new favorite things about the curly haired man, next to his newly sweet mouth.

“Wanna study?” Richie asked, smacking his lips from the refreshing water he’d just downed, presumably nodding towards his and Stan’s bedroom. That was all Richie needed to say and Eddie’s legs were striding obdientantly to the room.

~~~~~

It had been a while since they started making out and Richie never once reached below Eddie’s belt. Eddie wasn’t sure if Richie wanted to cum today, or if he just wanted this. He figured if Richie wanted to move it along, he already would have.

It was strange to Eddie, but he was sure all the rumors he’s heard of Richie resulted in someone being fucked. Eddie wondered if Richie was treating him different solely because they were friends.

In all honesty, Eddie hasn’t even seen Richie’s dick yet. It was a strange thought, that they’d been doing this for a couple of weeks and still, to no avail, Eddie hasn’t even done much to Richie except grind on him.

Eddie didn’t want to rush anything, but he was becoming suspicious of Richie’s intent with Eddie.

Maybe he didn’t want to go too far. If they did, they could never return to ‘normal’.

Though, Richie’s already given Eddie a couple of blow jobs, which implies that it may be somewhat too late to turn back.

“I can hear you thinkin’, Eds,” Richie breathed out softly, pulling back from their kiss. Eddie scooted himself to sit up as Richie had, avoiding Richie’s eyes for a moment to gather himself.

“What’s wrong?” Richie’s question brought up many answers in Eddie’s mind.

The fact that they were just simply messing around was wrong, for starters.

It was wrong to use Richie for emotional selfishness and it was wrong to ruin their platonic friendship just to get off.

It was also wrong to blow off the Losers just to get some make-out time in. It was all wrong because they were hiding. Eddie wasn’t so sure what they were hiding for.

Maybe it was because Richie didn’t want a relationship with him, so it’d be embarrassing to reveal his latest “lover” was Eddie (though, they hadn’t even made love, to begin with).

He could tell Richie about his feelings. He could, there was nothing physically stopping him from doing so.

But what if Richie got freaked out? That would ruin everything. And what if he was still seeing Daniel?

Eddie would surely look like a fool if he confessed his love for Richie just to find out Richie prefers the lifestyle of meaningless fucking.

“Are...you still with Daniel?” Eddie’s heart betrayed him as the words left his mouth. Richie’s small smile dropped, and suddenly the energy in the room became slightly colder.

“With him? Eddie, I told you, I am not dating him-”

“Okay, not dating then. Are you still seeing him?” Eddie knew he was being too demanding. He agreed with Richie that this would be a secret, one that only involves bodies intertwining, not hearts.

“Are you kidding?” Richie asked incredulously, and Eddie couldn’t help but feel as though he were avoiding the question.

“No, I’m not,” Eddie answered, furrowing his eyebrows at Richie, who looked beside himself.

“Why does it matter if I still see him or not?”, Richie exasperated, slouching down in a careless manner. It seemed as though Eddie asking him had been a waste of time, that this was a waste of his time.

Eddie could've voiced his true emotions. He could've told Richie it matters to Eddie because Eddie likes Richie more than a friend, more than a fuck buddy. Eddie could've, but he didn't.

“Because I don’t like him,” Eddie knew the excuse was a bad one, but it didn’t stop him from having an attitude with the curly haired boy beside him.

“It’s none of your business to like him or not. I didn’t ask for your opinion on him,” Richie lazily said, as he threw his long legs off the side of his bed and stood to walk towards the door. Eddie hated when Richie closed himself off, it was hard enough to talk to the naturally goofy boy without him going a step further and shutting him out.

“I don’t need your permission to have an opinion, asshole,” Eddie knew his eyes were watering up. He was too soft, too attached to get involved with something so flakey. He knew he was pathetic for doing this to himself, for letting himself get sexually involved without any emotions. Eddie couldn't ignore what his heart yearned for, and he let it get the better of him.

He couldn’t help it, his emotions were never going to suppress if he keeps seeing Richie for sweet kisses and feathery touches. He needed to stop this before he exploded in regret and self-pity.

“Who are you to tell me who I can and can’t see? My boyfriend?” Richie’s voice was harsh but there was a dry laugh somewhere in it and Eddie knew it was time to leave. He couldn't keep hearing the raw honesty in Richie's words. He knew Richie didn't love him more than he loved Bill or Mike. Eddie was a friend who Richie sometimes kissed. That was all, and Eddie couldn't bear the ugly truth.

Eddie stood up and tried hard not to cry. He knew he was stupid for even bringing Daniel up, but his damn mouth relayed the message from his heart before his brain could intervene. Eddie sniffled slightly to stop tears from falling, but the noise was loud enough for Richie to hear.

Richie spun around to shoot him a look, but as he did, the gaze faltered as Eddie’s eyes gave him away. Eddie was going to cry.

“Ed-”  
“-You’re right. I’m not your boyfriend,” Eddie already had his book bag in hand, his brown eyes had tears glazed over them when Richie’s vision focused on him. Eddie tried to come off as understanding and confident, but he knew by the look on his face and his rigid posture that he was anything but.

He also knew that Richie had caught on. This was spiraling out of control, and Eddie's anxiety began to rise. He could think of a billion different ways to tell Richie he had a crush on him. A lot of other ways that didn't involve jealousy and tears.

All the annoyance in Richie’s system left him, and now all he wanted to do was ask what was really wrong. Why Eddie was about to cry and why he had been so upset. But Richie found out it had been a little too late for sentiments now.

Eddie walked and pushed past Richie, heading out towards the hallway. It would be better to cool off and explain later, in Eddie's opinion. He didn't want to speak words he couldn't take back as he had earlier. He hoped Richie would just let him leave and not speak a word until they have to. Maybe by then, Eddie could think of a better excuse to tell Richie other than 'Hey, I don't like your other fuck buddy'.

“Wait, Eddie,” Richie begged frantically, following a very fast walking Eddie into the living room. It was almost like Eddie was trying to walk out the door before Richie could get in a word. Little did Richie know, that was exactly Eddie's plan. A plan that seemed to be failing terribly.

“Listen, you’re right, Richie. I don’t have a say in the matter of who you fuck. Okay? Happy?” Eddie turned to get his water bottle from the coffee table as Richie’s mind was anxiously trying to find a way to make Eddie stay. Eddie wishes he could go back in time and just continue to kiss Richie. He wished he had ignored the deep hurt of unrequited love in his chest.

“I didn’t mean what I said, I was just being stupid as always. Please, just stay and we could-”

“-We could what, Richie?” Eddie stood there, in his and Stan’s doorway, coat already being put on. The door was still closed, so maybe he could still convince the Kaspbrak boy to stay. Eddie thought he had already made a fool of himself, what more did Richie want?

Richie kept quiet as he watched Eddie’s face pull into a frown.

“I want to make this better, Eds,” Richie didn’t recognize his own voice as it came out somber and desperate.  
He didn’t want to anger Eddie or make him cry. He wanted to make everything better. He wanted Eddie to always be happy. He had been too harsh on Eddie back in the room.

He had just been frustrated that Eddie brought Daniel up, he wanted to avoid that name at all cost when around Eddie. Richie really wondered why Eddie viewed Daniel as a thorn in his side. Maybe the shorter boy just simply disliked the other blonde. That was a good enough reason for Richie.

Eddie’s blonde hair looked hectic in the dimly lit room as Richie watched him slowly walk towards him. Eddie figured that as long as Richie didn't mention his little hissy-fit from earlier, then he could stay. If Richie didn't want to leave things with a bitter taste, Eddie had no reason to be bitter anymore.

A feeling of relief flushed through him as he found Eddie’s head buried into his chest. Richie felt his heart beat faster, as Eddie dropped his water bottle and bag to the floor just to wrap his small arms around his neck. Richie hugged him back, a bit tighter than he’d like to admit.

“Never leave me,” Richie murmured into Eddie’s hair.

He didn’t mean for Eddie to hear it, but Eddie did. And Eddie knew that he would replay the very words over and over until his heart imploded from pure love until the end of time.

Even if this moment was all he got from Richie in his entire lifetime. Even if those three words were the last words he heard again and he somehow went deaf all of the sudden, Eddie would die a relieved, joyous man.


	9. Keep Saying You Love Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween comes and the Losers go to a party [PART ONE].
> 
> Stan has a problem and Richie is always there to help. 
> 
> SONG OF THE CHAPTER: A Teenager's Romance by Ricky Nelson

* * *

The rest of that month Eddie and Richie continued their little game of sneaky kisses when the Losers weren’t looking.

Everything was going just fine until Halloween night came. Everyone in the Losers club had gotten ready for a Halloween party and were meant to meet at Bill and Eddie’s dorm by 7:30 pm for a ‘pregame’, or what Stan calls ‘The calm before the storm’.

Richie knew they all agreed for a Hanna-Barbera themed Halloween. They all agreed on certain characters.

There was some rhyme and reason to the madness, and Richie ended up getting Shaggy. It was a pretty easy costume, with dark red pants and a green t-shirt he already owned.

He was one of the only Losers to have smoked weed before anyhow, except for Bev and Bill. The silly stoner character that Shaggy seemed played perfectly into Richie’s gimmicks.

Richie strolled over to the Kaspbrak-Denbrough dorm, with Stan stiffly walking next to him. Richie looked over the blonde boy to take in his appearance.

Stan had fought Bill on which character he wanted to be. Bill, being the handsome and natural born ‘leader’, wanted to be Fred. Stan got annoyed since Daphne and Fred were the only two characters left to choose, and he wasn’t having it with Bill’s assumptions.

_“Alright, so Daphne and Fred. Who’s being who?” Ben asked, looking towards Bill and Stan._

_“It’s pretty obvious,” Bill chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Stan narrowed his eyes at Bill suspiciously. Bev gave Ben a worried look before looking back at the growing tension between the other two._

_“Don’t tell me you think you’re being Fred,” Stan dry laughed as a confused and defensive Bill whipped his head to look at the Uris boy._

_“You can’t be serious. You want to be Fred?”_

_“Well, I’m blonde like Fred. And you’re hair shines ginger in the sun. You can be Daphne,” Stan shrugged, looking less tense then he had before. Bill seemed to have done the opposite._

_“But my hair is brown! Why can’t you be Daphne?” Bill hopelessly resisted, gesturing towards Stan._

_Stan’s eyes went harsh before he crossed his arms, deflecting Bill’s question onto himself._

_“Why can’t you be Daphne?” Stan’s voice sounded offended, and Richie knew why. Bill was implying that because Stan was more feminine, he should be the one fitting into the purple shoes instead of him._

_That thought process didn’t make much sense to Richie, because Stan was just as athletically active as Bill, making him technically a jock. Sure, Stan’s frame was slimmer and had more of a feminine air about it; but Stan was capable of being Fred as well. Richie didn’t understand why Bill was so against Daphne, she was a smart and pretty character to be._

_“I just can’t, it wouldn’t work. I’m not-”_  
_“-you’re not what, Bill?” Stan’s voice was harsher than before. He knew what Bill wanted to say. They all did._  
_“You’re not Gay? You think I should play Daphne because I’m fucking gay? Not all gay men are feminine, you asshole,” Stan stood up from his seat on Eddie and Bill’s couch, before grabbing his bag._

_“Stan, I didn’t mean it to sound like that. I just… I dunno....” Bill messily explained to Stan, the Losers sitting quietly. Eddie seemed annoyed with Bill just as much as Stan, just silently sitting there with a frown on his face and eyes strained on the Denbrough boy like a hawk waiting for its prey’s next mistake._

_They all knew Bill said stupid things sometimes, and there only so_ much _friends can do for each other. They can’t always protect each other, especially from themselves._

_“Stanny, Bill didn’t mean it to hurt or label you. He was just being really dumb,” Richie spoke up as Stan stood glaring at Bill in the doorway. It reminded Richie of the time Eddie was angry with him, and stood in Richie’s doorway, ready to leave without anything being resolved._

_Stan’s face softened when his gaze met Richie’s before he looked back at Bill in irritation._

_Bill smiled meekly to which Stan rolled his eyes and turned around towards the door once again._

_“It’s whatever, Bill. If you’re toxic masculinity can’t let you play a gender-bent version of Daphne, then be Fred for fuck's sake,” and with that as a sour goodbye, he slammed the door shut. Richie knew his words would only soften the blow and not resolve it since they needed to talk it out._

Bill just needed to wait until Stan wanted to actually speak to him again. Stan was the well-known King of the ‘Silent Game’.

Once Richie drunkenly used Stan’s toothbrush instead of his own and Stan didn’t speak to him for 2 whole days. It doesn’t seem like that much time, but when you live with each other and see each other often, it feels like a century. Richie apologized by offering to buy him a new one, which Stan informed him that he already had. Stan surely had a Siberia-like cold shoulder, but there was a warmth in his core. Soon enough, Stan forgave.

Stan wore a white sweater, a blue-collar shirt underneath, and an orange ascot. He wore normal blue jeans, but boy did he look fantastic. His curls weren’t slicked down all the way, but they were more tamed then normal.

“You make a great Fred, Stan,” Richie winked his way as they reached Bill and Eddie’s building. Stan offered Richie a tight smile and a breathy, “Thanks, Shaggy,” before flattening down his shirt.

3 days ago Richie heard from Stan that Bill apologized and told Stan to be Fred. Stan looked thrilled enough that Richie knew he wasn’t upset anymore.

Richie was thrilled it worked out, not only for his friends' sake but also for the fact that Bill’s color was purple, as Eddie likes to put it.

The shorter boy had said something along the lines of ‘It would be a waste of color on Stan’ since Eddie was convinced Stan’s color was blue.

Richie knew that Ben chose Velma because he liked her ‘godly knowledge’.

Bev had noted that Josie and the Pussycats were also Hanna-Barbera characters and that they should also use them since there weren’t enough Scooby Doo characters for everyone.

Bev, of course, was the red-headed Lead singer Josie. There was no better fit if you asked Richie. A short haired ginger girl who was badass? Pfft, they’re the same person.

Mike was Valerie, one of the only main characters of color in the Hanna-Barbera universe.  
He knew Mike was going to look justly adorable in his costume, especially when he stood almost as tall as Richie.

But when Richie found out Eddie was gonna be Melody, the Pussycat’s blonde drummer, he nearly combusted at the sheer thought of Eddie in cat ears and leopard print.

Eddie had asked Richie to borrow a pair of drumsticks for an accessory since Richie was musically talented in the drums. Richie also played the guitar, which he personally preferred. He actually wrote songs with the instrument, when with drums he needed an accompanying instrument.

He held the drumsticks loosely in his hand as he thought about how cute Eddie must look.

Richie’s train of thought ran wild with all varieties of makeup Eddie could be wearing at this very moment. Richie mentally prepared himself for what Eddie had in store.

He didn’t know what anyone else’s costumes looked like since they were technically all homemade. He has only seen Stan’s, being his roommate and all. As they climbed the stairs with adrenaline pumping through his system, Richie was already thinking of ways to get Eddie alone.

As they made their way out of the stairwell, Richie noticed that Stan wasn’t his usual self. He was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, and keep looking over at Richie.

“You alright?” Richie asked as they turned the corner towards the dorm that read 207.

“I think so,” Stan whispered back, thanking Richie with a smile. They stood in front of the door silently for a few moments. Stan usually wasted no time, with everything he did. He was precise, slow and steady to perfection. Even with that, he wasted no time.

But instead of knocking on the door, he hesitated. One foot in front of the other, as if he was about to, but couldn’t. Richie watched Stan step back so his feet were parallel once again.

Muffled laughter and noise could be heard from the other side.

Richie knew Stan hasn’t seen Bill since the apology. Stan was probably just nervous because Bill was Daphne, and he knew Bill originally didn’t want to be her. Richie knew Stan was afraid things would be awkward.

“Hey, tonight’s gonna be great,” Richie reassured Stan, putting a hand on his shoulder. When Stan looked at him, Richie offered a goofy, wide grin to which Stan rolled his eyes at, wearing a grin of his own.

Stan knocked confidently at the thick, wooden door.

The noise grew louder as Bev answered the door with a bright smile.  
“Look at you sexy men!!” Bev was loud and more enthusiastic than usual, which meant she already had a beer.

She turned to the others inside to holler that “The missing links are here!”

Richie noticed that Bev had black eyeshadow on as well as black lipstick. She really must’ve taken the ‘I’m in the band’ gimmick seriously. She had a cheetah dress on, as well as ears. Richie specifically likes her black fishnet stockings. They really brought her grungy take on Josie to life.

As they walked into the dorm, Richie instantly saw Eddie. He was smiling brightly as he looked away from his conversation with Ben. Richie wanted to call the party off just to pull Eddie into his room and kiss him senselessly.

Eddie’s leopard-printed ears that sat in the middle of his head matched the long sleeve shirt he was wearing.

He had on black shorts that stopped mid-thigh. He wore fishnets under the shorts that seemed nearly identical to the ones gracing Bev’s legs.

Though Richie’s favorite thing about Eddie’s costume was the makeup.

Eddie’s eyes had a smoky black on his eyelid and a matching black liner smudged under his puppy eyes. Richie wanted to thank Bev, for surely she and Eddie had gotten ready together.

Eddie’s toned legs were tantalizingly crossed at the knee, teasing Richie’s patience. Eddie quirked a brow at the lanky boy, giving him a smile.

Richie was sure tonight was going to bring a shit ton of problems, mostly good ones he hoped.

“Zoinks, Scoob, I think I’m in Heaven,” Richie tried out his best Shaggy voice, as he approached Eddie, placing both hands over his heart. Eddie didn’t roll his eyes at the joke but instead gave Richie an alert, wide-eyed look.

“Shut up!” Eddie whisper-yelled, pushing at Richie’s torso. Richie’s face slowly graced a smirk, realizing that Eddie was afraid the others would notice. He glanced over at the bunch, loud and happily taking shots. Bill was staring at Stan, who had safely hidden at Mike’s side as the dark boy beamed as they spoke together.

Richie lazily looked back down at Eddie, who had his arms crossed in worry.

“Don’t worry, buttercup. No one’s watching. I bet I could steal a kiss and they still wouldn’t notice,” Richie lowered his voice as he sat on next to Eddie, eyes following the blonde boy as he adjusted his seating.

Eddie’s blonde hair had sparkles in it, all over actually. It was subtle enough not to realize it from a distance, but it glimmered up close.

“But they aren’t drunk yet so it’s better safe than sorry,” Eddie gruffed, uncrossing his legs to stretch out, legs rubbing against Richie’s.

“What’s in your hair?” Richie inquired, fighting the strong urge to place a hand onto the pretty top of Eddie’s head.

“Oh, it’s, um, glitter hairspray. Bev bought it 90% off at some store that was closing. I wish I bought some,” Eddie laughed, raising a hand subconsciously to his hair.

“Maybe we can find some next time we go shopping,” Richie smiled, and Eddie grinned back.

~~~~~~

The Losers decided it was time to head for the party once Bill spilled whatever was left in the bottle they were sharing for shots.

On the way there, Richie noticed how the moon’s glow shined down upon Eddie’s mystical sparkling, blonde mane. Richie felt that Eddie’s soul must be full of something very similar looking.

When they arrived, Richie suddenly felt the need to stay by Eddie’s side. The music was blaring, the strobe lights were blinding, and the jocks were feigning: For Eddie, that was. The minute they all walked in, Richie saw a number of guys turn to check Eddie out as they all made their way to the kitchen for drinks.

It made something deep and ugly rise up in Richie, something that drunk Richie would definitely fight about. The culprit, of course, was jealousy. He really shouldn’t have more than two drinks, just to make sure sober him could keep the green-eyed monster at bay.

Eddie, however, decided that two shots and a can of beer were the right way to start partying. The amount of alcohol Eddie had consumed in just the past few minutes made Richie raise his brows at him. It made Richie remember all the times Mike snuck beer from his grandfather and Bev stole Vodka from her father just so they could all drink at the Quarry.

All those times they drank late at night brought back memories of all those times Eddie got drunk. Bev, Bill, Mike, and Richie were used to drinking enough not to get wasted by their third shot and beer. Ben never seemed drunk, no matter how much he drank.

But Eddie and Stan were ticking time-bombs. Every single time they drank, Stan wouldn’t shut the fuck up and Eddie would laugh until he couldn’t stand anymore.

Every night that they drank was a Friday, which made it easy for sleepovers. They all usually stayed at Bill’s house. Bill’s bedroom was now the big attic because his mother thought Georgie was old enough for his own room. George kept the room, Bill got the attic. It was large enough for all of them to stay in, and Bill’s parents had a soft spot for all of Bill’s friends.

One night of those drunken nights, Eddie was so drunk that even looking at Richie made him giggle, and Richie felt a weird sense of accomplishment wash over him whenever the shorter boy did so. It reminded Richie of when little babies being pushed by their mother in strollers looked at you in the supermarket and they smile when they see you.

Richie remembers Eddie not wanting to sleep that night, covering his mouth to giggle every time Richie told him to lower his voice. He remembers Eddie becoming drowsy in laughter, clinging to Richie with all his might. Richie remembers his chest blooming in warmth as Eddie snuggled closer to him on Bill’s bedroom floor, smiling down at the brunette boy.

Richie was brought back to reality when the now-blonde-boy tugged his shirt.

“What?” Richie loudly asked over the music, his eyes meeting Eddie’s smoky ones.

“I’m gonna go dance with Bev,” Eddie hollered back, gesturing his free hand towards the ginger girl who was already shimmying her way to the dance floor.

Richie felt the need to ask Eddie to stay with him or to go dance with him. He didn’t like the idea of Eddie looking hot and single. He didn’t do either since a vicious thought ripped his yearning up like shredded paper because Eddie was hot and single.

He nodded, lifting his cup up at Eddie as Eddie grinned, spinning around to search for Bev. Why hadn’t he told Eddie his feelings yet? They were already past the physical contact, shouldn’t he have the confidence to ask about the emotional part?

His thoughts were interrupted when a flash of blonde came into view. He focused his eyes to see Daniel standing in front of him, enthusiastically smiling.

_Fuck._

“Who’re you supposed to be?” Daniel asked, getting closer to speak to Richie. Richie’s eyes flashed over Daniel’s outfit and noticed that he was actually wearing a fucking skirt.

It was mainly a tight white torso, with the dark blue skirt connected to it.

The outfit made Richie surprisingly think of Eddie. Richie could imagine Eddie wearing the exact same clothes as Daniel, looking all prissy and cute.

Somehow, Daniel wearing it didn’t seem to much for him. Maybe it was the fact that Richie was in love with Eddie, giving the shorter boy the power to make anything look sexy.

“Shaggy from Scooby Doo,” Richie tried to play it cool, but of course the second Richie let a smile slip up, Daniel took it as an invitation to inch closer.

“Wow, such a fitting character. I always did find lanky stoner’s hot,” Daniel smirked, fiddling with the solo cup in his glove-covered hands. Richie was usually lightening-fast with comebacks, but he didn’t particularly want to keep the conversation going somewhere he regretted. Instead of replying to Daniel’s admission, he diverted it.

“And who are you?” Richie coughed, nodding towards Daniel before taking a swig of his drink. Daniel’s eyes widened before looking down at his own outfit.

Richie’s eyes flickered to the dance floor for any sign of Eddie and Bev, but Daniel looked back quick enough that Richie couldn’t spot them. As his eyes snapped back to Daniel, the blonde boy was already watching him.

“I’m Sailor Moon. She’s the main character from a Japanese T.V Show that recently came out this summer,” Daniel laughed, flattening down his costume. Richie opened his mouth to let out a falsely interested ‘Ahhh, I see’, but his mind just kept wandering back to Eddie.

“Sounds pretty cool. Who are you here with?” Richie eyed the golden heart headband that rested against Daniel’s forehead, which was framed by Daniel’s hair. He thought about how Daniel’s sandy blonde hair didn’t look as angelic as Eddie’s pale blonde hair.

“Why? Looking for someone to go home with?” Daniel eyed Richie’s lips before glancing up into his eyes again, moving a step closer. Richie was literally against the wall with this one, feeling as though he trapped himself into this mess.

When he asked Daniel the question, he meant it as please go back to them and leave me alone thanks. But Daniel must’ve taken it as an opening for another night in the sheets.

“Uh-”-Richie, I need help,” Stan’s voice was like hearing God speak, saving Richie from his loss of words.

Richie’s vision flew to a worried Stan, and Stan’s eyes gained interest as he raised an eyebrow at Daniel.

“Oh, am I interrupting something?”

“No, I was actually about to find you. I remember you asked me for help earlier,” Richie huffed out the lie through a thankful grin, moving away from Daniel’s space.

“I did?”

“Sure did. Remember Staniel?” Richie wore a gritted grin, his eyes were daggers at Stan, trying to convey that he wanted out of the conversation with Daniel. Stan thankfully got the message.

“Oh, that. Yeah, that’s why I came to get you,” Stan’s lies seemed so smooth yet Richie could tell he was bluffing from just his face. Before Daniel caught wind of it, Richie covered it up.

“Sorry, Danny boy, Stan the Man’s in need of my help. I’ll see you around,” Richie happily voiced loudly, Daniel giving an understanding but confused nod, before waving. Richie grinned one more time before turning away to face his Jewish friend.

Richie grabbed Stan’s hand before searching for the stairs. They should probably go somewhere far away from Daniel or the boy would somehow find a way to talk to Richie again.

That and it was too loud to really hear anything.

Once they trudged up the stairs and found a bedroom, Richie let go of Stan’s hand to fall down on a bed he didn’t know the owner of. Stan shut the door as Richie groaned, rubbing his face in relief.

“Wanna talk about it?” Stan asked, making his way to Richie but not sitting on the bed. Richie removed his hands and let his arms fall open, looking up at the boy in an orange ascot.

“Fuck no. Thanks for helping me escape him, though,” Richie sat up on the bed, legs hanging off the edge.

“You’re so dramatic, Tozier,” Stan rolled his eyes with a small smile before carefully sitting down on the floor.

“So, what’s bothering my Stanny so much that he needs to talk in the middle of a party?”

“It’s Bill,” Stan was quick and precise with the statement, nervously picking at his socks as he sat crisscrossed below Richie.

Richie raised his brows, thinking about all the things Bill could’ve done to piss Stan off only 30 minutes into the party. The list was creative, but it wasn’t that long.

“What’d Big Bill do this time?” Richie inquired, tilting his head to watch the curly-haired boy’s shoulders’ shrug.

“Promise me you won’t tell anyone,” Stan was pretty cut-and-dry with his speech, and he wasn’t bashfully pleading Richie to keep a secret. Richie knew that Stan was demanding Richie to keep his mouth shut, in the kindest way the Uris boy could.

“I’ll die before I tell anyone, you know that,” Richie swore, placing a hand over his heart. Stan looked up at Richie with a scowl, knowing Richie was poking fun at Stan’s old boy scout days.

A minute probably passed before Stan continued, eyes still trained on Richie.

“Bill kissed me,” Stan’s words made Richie’s brain malfunction for a moment like he was trying to solve a math equation and couldn’t get past the first number.

“Wait, excuse me? He kissed you?” Richie’s voice was loud and Stan didn’t seem to care since they were sure no one would hear it over the deafening music from the main room.

“He sure did,”

  
“When?”

  
“After our last practice,” Stan was frigid as if moving was the only thing stopping Richie from having a meltdown. Richie was surely feeling bamboozled, but he wasn’t going to have a heart attack.

“Bill’s straight,” Stan said before Richie could come up with another question, shifting in his spot on the floor. Richie could only assume it was nerves.

“Yeah, not as straight as we thought he was, I guess,” Richie breathed out a laugh, which seemed to help Stan physically relax.

“How’d it happen?”

“We were the only ones left in the locker room after our showers. I usually change while Bill’s showering, but we were the last two the get into the shower and by the time we were in there, everyone was gone,” Stan began to explain, clasping his hands together. Richie nodded thoughtfully, sliding off the bed to sit in front of Stan in interest.

“So we both finished our showers, me being the first one out. I heard the water stop but I didn’t hear much movement so I turned around to see Bill just standing there, looking at me,” Stan suddenly inhaled, looking at Richie with a nervous glint in his hazel eyes.

“I had a towel around my waist, so I was basically naked and Bill was just standing there, watching. I felt self-conscious but I thought, ‘Hey, Bill’s seen me in swimming trunks all those times at the Quarry. Who cares?’, right? So I joked about if he liked what he saw. I don’t know why I said it, maybe to relieve the awkward silence?” Stan covered his face when Richie cackled and slapped his knee.

“Oh God, Stan, you flirted with him?”  
“Flirted?” Stan’s voice raised an octave in defense, sputtering at the very thought.

“I-I didn’t flirt, it was just supposed to be a joke,” Stan whined, his cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment.

Richie shook his head with a bitten-back grin.

“No, go ‘head. Finish,” Richie offered, waving away any previous teasing he made Stan endure.

“I didn’t mean to flirt,” Stan sternly said, bringing his knees up to his chest, giving Richie a glare.

“Okay! Bill was looking and Stan didn’t flirt. Continue,” Richie gave in, smiling small as Stan readied himself up to speak again. But instead of speaking, Stan stood quiet.

“Stan, honestly if you don’t think you flirted then it probably didn’t come off that way,” Richie sighed, trying to reassure the doubtful boy.

“Well, now you make me feel like he took it as flirting!” Stan accused, reluctantly admitting that Richie’s theory was correct.

“Well, what did you say, exactly?”

“So I said, ‘What’s the matter? Like what you see?’,” Stan took into character, acting out how he exactly said it to Bill. Richie’s jaw dropped as laughter bubbled in his throat.

“Stan! That totally sounded like you were flirting!” Richie gave Stan a scandalized look, covering his mouth in astonishment.

“Fuck, it does,” Stan put his hands in his hair, thinking through the scenario again.

“Okay, forget what I said for a minute and tell me the rest,” Richie encouraged, nudging Stan’s leg with his own. Stan released his hold on his own curls and nodded, looking at Richie once more.

“After I jokingly asked Bill, his eyes got all big and then he said ‘Yeah, I do,’”. Stan paused, taking in Richie’s expression. Richie tried to hide his amusement with waving his hand to motion Stan to continue. Stan took it and started up again.

“I was, like, stunned that he even answered. I thought he was just gonna laugh it off, but he didn’t laugh at all. And then he started walking towards me, and I was frozen. I swear, Richie, I felt so shocked I couldn’t move,” Stan placed his arms down and let his legs fall into a criss-cross position again. Richie nodded in understanding, letting out a quick ‘Uh-huh’.

“When Bill stopped walking, he was right in front of me. We both only had towels on, and for some reason, the thought of it got me all, I-I dunno-”-Hot and bothered?” Richie smirked, causing Stan to blush, but give in.

“Yeah, like that. And he was so close, like in my space, that his hand was brushing mine. I felt like I was gonna have a heart attack, I swear,” Stan exhaled before crossing his arms.

“We were just staring at each other, and then he told me ‘I always like what I see,’. I couldn’t even say anything, I felt mute. I just opened my mouth like an idiot but didn’t say a word. He raised a hand to my face, and then before I knew it he was kissing me,” Stan finished, looking for an answer in Richie’s face.

“Hmm, I see,” Richie thought, leaning back on his arms for support, thinking through Stan’s story.

“What happened after the kiss? Did he a freak?” Richie asked, thinking that that reaction was a predictable ‘I-think-I’m-Straight-but-I’m-Not’ move.

Stan shook his head, leaning forward matter-of-factly.

“It wasn’t just one kiss. He kissed me once, and then stopped to look at me again, maybe for permission to continue? I dunno, but after he saw my face, I must’ve looked like I liked it because he put two hands in my hair and pushed us up against a locker to kiss again,”

“And after that second kiss?” Richie poked Stan for more information, the curly-haired boy growing redder by the minute.

“His hands started to, um, wander,”

  
“Did you like it?”

  
“Yes,” Stan confessed, his face serious as ever, but a blush darkening his cheeks.

“What happened after his hands traveled to other places?”

  
“Does it matter?”

  
“I dunno, Stan. Does it?” Richie quirked a brow, trying to pry the truth out of the boy.

Stan let out a defeated sigh before sinking into himself.

“I mean, I was kissing back and we were still kinda wet from the shower. Bill started to mumble stuff to me while we were kissing, stuff like ‘God, you’re beautiful,’and he gasped my name a lot. This is horrendously more embarrassing then I thought it’d be,” Stan looked bashfully away, weakly chuckling to himself.

“I’m just trying to see the bigger picture is all. You don’t have to tell me everything, but it’d help if you were as detailed as possible,” Richie shrugged, watching Stan gain some pride back.

“I know. Okay, the last thing that happened was my towel loosened from all the roughhousing, I guess, and when I felt it slipping, I pulled away from Bill. It must’ve knocked him back into reality or something, but he just stopped,”

“Did he run away?”

  
“No, he literally got dressed next to me and then told me that he’d see me later. Then he just casually left like he hadn’t kissed me or said those intimate things. I was so fucking confused. I mean, I still am. And then the whole stupid fight about our Halloween costumes happened and it made it worse. I just don’t know what to do,” Stan sounded desperate. It reminded Richie of how helpless he felt about his own situation with Eddie.

“Why don’t you just ask him?” Richie offered, his own brain laughing at himself because _‘Yeah, Richie, why don’t you just ask Eddie about his feelings?’_. It was a bit contradicting, to give Stan advice that he himself is afraid to take.

“What if he rejects me?” Stan voiced Richie’s own fears. _What if?_

  
“He won’t,” Yeah, but what if he does? Your friendship with Eddie wouldn’t ever be the same again.

“But what if he does, Richie?” _WHAT IF?_

  
“He kissed you first, Stan. He must have liked you enough to do so,” _YOU KISSED HIM FIRST, RICHIE. YOU PUSHED IT UPON HIM._

“Very true,” Stan muttered, thinking to himself. _Very true indeed._

  
“I’m gonna go talk to him,”

  
“What, like, now?”

  
“Yeah. Thank you so much, Richie. If anything goes south, please let me cry on you when we get back home,” Stan smiled meekly, as he stood to his feet. Richie pushed himself up to stand, too.

“You may not be coming home with me,” Richie winked, trying to give Stan the confidence he needed.

Stan rolled his eyes lovingly, before giving Richie a hug.

“I’ll talk to him,” Stan whispered, and Richie wished he could be like Stan.

  
Brave and loving, ready to admit his feelings. Richie was a coward.

  
“Go get your Daphne,” Richie whispered back, before loosening his grip on Stan. Stan gave him one last smile before heading off and out the door.

The loudness came traveling back into the bedroom, Stan leaving the door open for him.

 

 _GO GET HIM_ , Richie’s brained screamed for Eddie, but it wasn’t that easy now, was it?


	10. Wish I had someone to call on the phone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan and Bill have a talk.  
> Richie admits, for the first time, that he is in love with Eddie. 
> 
>  
> 
> SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Mr. Lonely by Bobby Vinton (AN OLDIE BUT A GOLDIE)

* * *

 

Eddie was drunk enough not care who was watching him dance but sober enough to know Richie was watching.

Richie was just as drunk as Eddie, for the tall boy’s pale skin grew a blotchy pink, blooming across the bridge of his nose and cheeks.

Even in the dimmed-lighting, Richie’s drunken flush could be seen, but Eddie was too disorientated to notice.

Richie didn’t seem to mind that Eddie caught him staring. All Richie did was nod his head at Eddie as if to say ‘hey’.

Eddie giggled aloud, before waving his heavy-feeling arm at the curly man across the way. Richie just seemed to stare, the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness sinking in. After that, Eddie went back to dancing as before, Richie’s eyes mindlessly trailing the boy’s body.

Wherever Stan was, he was probably with Bill, confessing his feelings. Richie wished he had a quarter of the guts Stan did. Instead of being brave, Richie was being a loser.

Maybe it was 4th Vodka shot he had just downed, or maybe it was his anxiety’ either way, Richie suddenly became hyper-aware that Eddie was too good for him.

In the middle of his depressing realization, he felt a tap on the shoulder. Richie’s head turned slowly to see Daniel smiling, his mouth moving. Richie’s brain seemed to be malfunctioning, for the words never registered.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Richie asked with a squinted eyes, focusing in on Daniel’s mouth as if he could lip-read just in case he went spontaneously deaf again. The blasting music wasn’t helping either.

“I said ‘You wanna get out of here?’” Daniel hollered with a smirk, and Richie was so deep in a mood that he was willing to do anything to get out of it. He knew Eddie deserved someone to love, someone to have long-term.

He deserved the whole fucking world, and Richie was ruining his chances of finding someone worthy. He was blocking Eddie from a secure relationship.

Richie irrationally decided that sleeping with Daniel was a solution.

Eddie opened his closed eyes from dancing to see the ginger girl in front of him, rocking side to side.

Beverly was also too far gone in alcohol to notice their interaction, she was too caught up in the music.

She was nearly headbanging to the song, her hair whishing back and forth into her face. Eddie smiled, before doing the movement himself, holding Bev’s shoulders as support.

The two began to laugh uncontrollably in a manner that was clearly the opposite of sober.

Their limbs were crashing into each other, falling into one another’s space as their laughter grew stronger, simply because there is nothing more destabilizing than getting shit-faced.  
  
By the time they calmed down and Eddie looked over at Richie, the tall boy was no longer resting up against the counter as he had been before. He was, instead, making his way out the door with a blonde haired boy.

Eddie felt his chest cave in and stomach drop as if he had been shot in the very spot he stood in. Was Richie leaving with Daniel?

While Richie was walking his way into a mistake and Eddie was in a sterilized shock, Stan was in a quiet room with Bill.

Stan hadn’t told Bill why he dragged them into the room he’d just been in with Richie, but Bill hadn’t complained. He actually told Stan that the light’s in the room were ‘too bright’ and to ‘please shut them off’. Bill’s casual confidence always left Stan in a bashful surprise.

Bill wanted those lights off, falling back onto a stranger's bed; the bright lights that were supposed to keep Stan wide awake in concentrated reality. Yet Bill wanted those lights of clarity kept in darkness, and Stan wasn’t sure if it would be the best idea right now, especially in a moment where Stan was meant to admit his feelings for the boy. Stan’s mind couldn’t focus on an objective when he was trapped in a romantically shadowed room with Bill Denbrough.

But when Stan stood still and Bill turned his head expectantly, Stan had done just that. And in return, the universe gave Stan the chance to watch Bill in sunken darkness, the only light from a dim desk lamp and the moon out the unshaded window.

Bill casually laid flat on the bed, whoever’s it was, and simply sighed. Stan wishes he could be as content as Bill seemed.

“Bill,” Stan began, fiddling with his fingers. But, he was interrupted by the blue-eyed boy’s voice.

“Actually, today my name is Daphne,” Bill stated matter-of-factly, and as he turned to look at Stan’s surprised face, he placed his hands above his head and laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Stan asked, warily knowing Bill didn’t actually laugh at his own joke. Bill’s chuckle hadn’t been released until he looked over at Stan.

“It’s just that face you’re making, it reminds me of somethin’,” Bill trailed off, eyes boring up at Stan so intensely that Stan broke their connecting gazes. He chose to look down at the floor with a scoff, lightly kicking out his foot as he walked away from the bed.

“Reminds you of what?” Stan murmured as he pretended to look at the pictures taped to the bedroom wall.

Bill sat up on his elbows, watching Stan’s hand run across the various photos. Stan heard him move and looked over his shoulder, a hand resting up against the wall.

“‘Reminds me of the face you made when I kissed you,” Bill’s voice sounded airy, but the words made Stan’s heart jump in his ribcage heavily.

There was an electric silence flooding the air around them, and Stan stood their dumbly with his mouth hung open.

His eyelashes fluttered in surprise as Bill pushed himself up to stand. Stan felt a frightening urge to run, but his the way Bill’s eyes refused to leave his own begged him to be still.

All that Stan could think of was that damn kiss, in the locker room. The way Bill sauntered towards him was the exact way he had before he had been kissed.

When Bill reached Stan, his face had a lingering pained expression. Stan felt himself hold his breath unconsciously.

“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?” Bill whispered gently, like speaking any louder would shatter the moment like fine china. Like speaking any louder would scare them both out of a dream.

Stan searched Bill’s eyes frantically as if looking for any displaced reject in the seas of blue. Stan turned towards Bill fully now, but making damn well he didn’t step closer to the intimidating boy with the unwavering gaze.

In fact, he might have even taken a step back.

Bill’s eyes didn’t deter in confidence at Stan’s slow retreat. In fact, as Stan stuttered backward, he saw a glimmer in Bill’s blue eyes as if knew what Stan was thinking. It caused the ever-growing anxiety inside of Stan to continue to rise at a steady pace. They stood this way until Bill nailed Stan into the coffin he put himself in.

“Is that why you asked me to follow you to this room alone?” Bill’s voice stayed low and steady like he was balancing Stan on a bike with no training wheels.

Stan was usually no fan of being babied and treated as if one blow of the wind would break him, but he was relieved Bill had treated him like so.

It was like Bill knew he needed to be handled with care, especially in a moment where he was risking a life-long friendship for reckless and, more notably, uncertain love.

“Why did you kiss me, Bill?” Stan squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as he could. He heavily exhaled in dread as he opened his eyes once more as if he had just chanted cursed words that release a demon from the deepest part in hell. Maybe that, metaphorically, was exactly Stan had done.

“I’m sorry,” Bill apologized, averting his eyes away from Stan for a split second before meeting his gaze once more.

Stan was baffled, not only did Bill not answer his question, but Bill also seemed to think this ‘talk’ was about Stan’s anger, his disapproval.

The only slight anger Stan held was at Bill for being so fucking dense.

“Bill,” Stan’s voice seemed too loud for the room like everything was radio silence except for their breathing and the muffled party music from downstairs.

“I can’t stop thinking about that kiss, Bill,” Stan voiced, the truth was thick like honey in his throat and it was burning a scarlet tint across his face.

Stan’s hands went behind his back, clutching the back of his thighs in awaiting terror of Bill’s reaction. Even though he was sure Bill knew enough by reading his body language, Stan still tried to put up a stoic expression.

Those words weren’t really what he intended to say to the other.

What Stan wanted to say was “I can’t stop thinking about you,”.

Bill’s eyes snapped up as they have before, wide and wondering, into Stan’s hazel ones.

Bill didn’t say anything, which might’ve been paining Stan worse than an actual verbal response. Instead, Bill’s hand reached forward, reaching around Stan to pull his hands away from the hold he had on his own thighs.

Bill grasped Stan’s freed hand lightly to pull Stan towards him, simultaneously walking backward.

Stan, wordless with adrenaline coursing through his veins, allowed himself to be led as Bill’s long legs led them both to the bed.

Once there, Bill sat down, peering up at Stan in coyness. Stan still felt dry in the throat, at the way Bill was silently driving him absolutely insane. It totally wasn’t the fact that Bill was still holding his hand.

“Stanley,” Bill’s voice sounded so small, Stan had almost mistaken it for a breath of air. But since he was captivated by Bill, he had seen his own name grace Bill’s lips.

“You know how I asked you to help me after our first practice to help me find a major?” Bill was nodding up at him, hoping for him to remember. Of course, Stan knew exactly what he was talking about.

Not only was it pretty recent, but it was also a memory of Bill turning to him for help. Stan could never forget, due to his fondness for the boy.

Bill had him promise not to tell anyone else, including the rest of the Losers. Bill did not have a major yet and still was undecided. He expressed his embarrassment in struggling to choose his future, asking Stan not to tell the others. He confided in Stan to help him after practice when he was free, and hell, Stan was always free for Bill.

He helped Bill look up various requirements for Majors, and even took out books from the library to give him a gist of what a certain subject would be like. So far, Bill has rejected Theatre, Business, Education, and even Physical Education.

They were still in the midst of trying to figure it out together. Stan could understand why he wants it to be under the radar, so Stan never questioned anything. Bill wanted to find himself and not broadcast to the world he was struggling to settle his life into place.

Stan’s train of thought was broken when Bill, who was waiting patiently for an answer, rubbed a warm thumb over Stan’s knuckles.

Stan stayed quiet to avoid any unwanted vocal slip-ups, having no faith in his voice at the moment. Instead, he answered Bill with a curt nod.

“Okay, well, when I asked you to help, I honestly just wanted to be alone with you,” Bill admitted, squeezing at Stan’s hand in the process. Stan’s eyes widened down at the sheepish Denbrough boy; his eyebrows pulled together in disbelief.

“Don’t get me wrong, I really do need help. But, I asked you specifically because I wanted alone time with you,” Bill defended his actions, slightly tugging Stan closer. Stan abided by Bill’s stronghold and inched forward, his knees hitting into Bill’s knees.

“Why me? Because I’m good at organizing and research?” Stan managed, clearing his throat of all the lingering shyness he somehow was subduing to. The hand Bill wasn’t holding twisted mindlessly on the side of Stan’s pants.

Bill looked at Stan in amazement, shaking his head with his mouth in pulled to an open-mouthed smile, eyes wide with adoration.

“Because I wanted to see you,”  
“You see me every day, Bill,”   
“Not the way I’d like to see you,”

Stan’s other hand went limp as he suppressed a gasp, and Bill saw it as a chance to take his left hand as well. Stan dumbfoundedly gaped down at Bill, who was holding both his hands in a faux wedding-vow style.

“What does that mean?” Stan breathed, his heart trying to break out of his chest with harsh, fast thumps. Stan couldn’t stop squirming, shifting back and forth on his feet.

“You want to talk about that kiss?” Bill redirected, but the question seemed rhetorical and Bill was holding his hands so sweetly, so Stan tried to focus on his heart rate instead.

“You really surprised me in the locker room. I took a chance that I have been waiting forever to take, and I kissed you. Did you like it?” Bill quirked up at Stan, the ghost of a smile hiding on Bill’s plump lips. Stan couldn’t lie even if he needed to.

“Yes,” Stan said small and under his breath, but well enough for Bill to hear it. Bill’s lips pulled, revealing a soft smile, pushing his fingers into Stan’s palms. Stan held Bill’s hands now, tighter and more secure than he expected himself to be holding.

Their fingers were not interlocking, but their palms were diagonally rested and it was enough for Stan’s skin to tingle from Bill’s touch.

“Would you like to kiss again?” Bill’s simple yet smug question made Stan’s worry for rejection burst into nothing but neon-hot energy. Bill’s smirking mouth told Stan his long-awaited, bright answer.

“Are you fucking joking?” Stan mumbled, pulling his hands away from Bill’s to slide onto each side of Bill’s jaw before rushing down to crash his lips into a wide-eyed Bill’s lips.

Stan’s heart ached deeply as if it was thanking God for his mercy. He was thanking the universe for allowing the feelings to be mutual.

Stan’s mouth tingled with nerves at the very touch of Bill’s, mind noting that his lips felt twice as soft as they had been in the locker room. Bill smiled through the kiss at Stan’s eagerness, as they both fell backward and onto a stranger’s bed.

“You sure are feisty, Fred,” Bill joked in a breathy manner when they finally pulled apart. No-nonsense Stan, with lowered eyelids, pulled his Daphne by the ascot into another heated kiss.

He was afraid if he stopped, Bill would altogether disappear.

~~~

Back at Richie’s dorm, Daniel currently had his mouth wrapped around Richie’s dick.

Richie was pressed against the door as Daniel’s mouth worked on him, no lights on in the room. Richie’s pants pooled at his feet as Daniel vigorously bobbed his head. Richie had his hands in his own hair, palms laid across his eyes.

Richie’s drunk mind drifted to Eddie the second Daniel had kissed him, and now it was harder to ignore a fantasy image of Eddie sucking him off. Richie felt a wanton need for Eddie to be in his own mouth. There was a phantom weight on his tongue at the very thought, and it caused him to grip Daniel’s hair tighter.

Richie’s breathing was ragged as he titled his head to look down, all he saw was blonde hair lit up by only the moon outside of the window. He couldn’t allow Eddie to do anything like this, Richie had avoided Eddie’s touch at all costs.

He only allowed Eddie to kiss him as Richie did all the dirty work. It sounds ridiculous if said aloud, but he had an irrational fear that if he let Eddie have his way, Richie would fall even deeper and never be able to let go of the shorter boy.

Richie could already see his doomed future if he let Eddie take charge. Eddie would grow bored, while Richie was near Heaven. Eddie would find another, not only to kiss and fuck but more importantly, to love.

Not that Eddie loves Richie that way anyhow.

Richie wouldn’t know how else to cope except push all the Losers away with it. An act that wouldn’t go forgiven by any of them. It was better to leave Eddie’s loving for someone worthy of Eddie. Richie knew his merits, but he also knew his faults and his cons outweighed his pros.

Richie felt an ache in his chest that needed to be filled, even if the void would be filled by false love. He tried to concentrate on the way Daniel’s lips pushed and pulled him, and Richie wondered if Eddie would have to stop mid-blowjob, just so he could breathe.

It was far too easy to see Eddie on his knees in Daniel’s place, especially under the influence of alcohol. It was also easier to let your true desires overcome your false ones.

He imagined his dick smeared with lipstick, Eddie’s mouth stained as well. He imagined that Eddie would take his time with it rather than do it so fast, his lips sinking up and down his dick slow enough to kill Richie from edging.

‘Rich,’ Richie could hear Eddie sputter around his dick, saliva dripping down Eddie’s pointed chin.

Eddie’s blonde hair would look shiny and soft, a striking comparison against his tan skin and brown eyes. Richie could tear up from how angelic Eddie would be in this deep, purple lighting.   
  
Eddie wasn’t trashy and slutty like Richie was, he was precious and sexy. He shouldn’t have to do any sexual act to someone who he does not love. Richie didn’t want to taint Eddie that way, he could never make love to someone who simply does not love Richie.

When Eddie asks to do things to Richie or asks for sex hazily in Richie’s ear, an animalistic part of Richie wants to let it happen.

It was selfish and vile, but Richie wanted to let Eddie have what he asks for, claiming Eddie for himself.

Maybe it would make him feel better; ‘you can have him in bed, but you’ll never have him to wed’ was mantra Richie’s brain seemed to brand his mind with. It was a burning fact that Richie prays to be a cruel joke from God if there was one.

It was inevitable, Eddie leaving him for someone worthwhile. So why extend the deadline and cause more self-harm then necessary.

Richie felt a spike of anger rush through him, hopelessly taking him over. He wished he could just focus on cumming right now, not having a pity-party while he fucked someone’s mouth.

Richie grabbed Daniel’s hair with two hands, thrusting deeper and harder than before. He felt the mouth gasp, sending vibrations around him, as desperate hands came up to grip Richie’s thighs in a hopeless attempt.

“Fuck, Eds,” Richie slipped out in a moan, and he felt Daniel’s sucking come to a screeching halt, the blonde boy popping off of Richie and away from the grasp Richie held on his hair. Richie didn’t move from his place, as dread and regret flooded his entire being.

“Who’s Ed?” Richie heard Daniel perfectly fine, but his throat for once wouldn’t let him speak. Richie looked at Daniel on the floor, curiously looking up at him, waiting for an answer.

“What?” Richie dumbly voiced, not knowing any other way out of this predicament other than playing dumb. He knew Daniel had heard him, but it was worth trying.

Daniel shifted on his knees, slowly sitting down on his own legs.

“Didn’t you just call me Eds?” Richie’s mind raced with lies he could use, excuses to defend himself with, anything that would stop this conversation.

Richie wasn’t even entirely sure Daniel even knew who Eddie was. They didn’t introduce everyone by name at lunch the day Daniel sat with them, so Richie hoped Daniel wasn’t good at putting two and two together.

“Well, Um, I-”  
“-Do you imagine someone else when we do stuff like this?” Daniel’s questioned burned into Richie’s mind, and he felt played.

It had been the safety of his own thoughts, no shame in it. But now, he was exposed to the world for all to know and he couldn’t have felt guiltier.

“Maybe,” Richie answered, unsure how to read Daniel’s facial expression. The kid was either about to throw a fit, or he could not give a shit at all. It was hard to tell.

Daniel sighed, nodding his head as Richie awkwardly pulled his boxers up. Richie didn’t think to having his dick out was right for this situation.

“It kinda makes sense, now that I think about it,” Daniel finally said, offering Richie a sad smile, sliding off his legs to sit his bottom on the floor.

Richie couldn’t help but feel like he had used Daniel, and he imagined how upset Eddie would be knowing what a jackass Richie was.

“I’m so sorry, Daniel,” Richie apologized, thinking of how used he would feel if he found out Eddie thought of someone else when Richie sucked him off. It was definitely not the greatest feeling in the world. Richie slowly sat down across from Daniel, pulling his legs up to his chest.

“Richie, it’s okay. I know this is a no-feeling deal. I just,” Daniel cut himself off in a breathy way that Richie could only place as defeated.

“I just thought you were cute and took a chance, even though I knew you didn’t feel any romantic feelings for me. I mean, what can I say? My crush only strengthened after the first time we hooked up,” Daniel rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, his mouth tensing into a straight line.

Realization dawned on Richie, but it wasn’t as enlightening as an epiphany, Richie figured Daniel had some sort of thing for him, he just didn’t know it was as serious as a crush. He just thought Daniel wanted to fuck.

“Daniel, I really am sorry,”  
“I know, Richie. You didn’t know, it’s nothing to worry about,”

Daniel shrugged sheepishly at Richie, and the Tozier boy felt his heart pang in remembering that Eddie would reject him if Richie confessed. He couldn’t do what he told Stan to do. He could never tell Eddie how he felt.

Richie may be a hypocrite telling Stan to go for Bill as he hid from Eddie, but Bill didn’t kiss Stan as a ‘fuck buddy’.

Bill broke the rules of friendship with a risky kiss, Stan just being Bill’s friend. That was real love, real affection.

It wasn’t just lust or hormones, Bill kissed Stan as if he thought long and hard about it.

Bill told Stan ‘I like you’ without words. Richie didn’t tell Eddie anything except ‘I like your body’.

And the fact that Eddie accepted that, and only that, shows Richie he might only like Richie for pleasure.

Just how Richie accepted Daniel as a meaningless hookup, Eddie deemed Richie only as his talkative friend who sometimes sucks him off.

Richie feared he would be nothing more than a quickie to Eddie. But Richie fantasized that Eddie was eager to be alone with Richie because he wanted to kiss him as his life depended on it.

He pretended Eddie dreamed about holding Richie’s hand and cuddling on rainy afternoons the same way Richie dreams about it. But their relationship was sexual, not romantic; just like Daniel and his.

“Do you love him? This Eds of yours?” Daniel whispered, a broken look in his eyes that Richie recognized. It was the same look he has seen in his own dark eyes, staring blankly into the mirror, wondering if he’ll ever be able to get over Eddie Kaspbrak.

“Do I love him?” Richie breathed out an incredulous laugh. Richie felt tears prick at his eyes, and he hated himself for crying in front of this kid.

Daniel is already being put through enough of his shit, and now he has to deal with this?

Richie felt a single tear roll down his face as he bowed his head and stared at his shoes.

Daniel waited for Richie to answer, his own eyes watering up, watching Richie sniffle and rub his nose on the inner of his arm.

Did Richie love Eddie? Richie saw flashes of the boy in his mind: Eddie’s huge doe eyes that followed Richie observantly, Eddie’s contagious giggling, Eddie’s sweet worrying, Eddie’s brave remarks, Eddie’s smooth hand holding Richie’s face when they kissed. Love didn’t seem heavy enough to carry the strong emotions Richie felt for the Kaspbrak boy. Love was a four-letter word and the feeling in Richie’s chest was an aching, expanding warmth.

“Daniel,” Richie didn’t even recognize his own voice, low and wet from crying.   
“Yes?” Daniel whispered back, eyes still watery as they met Richie’s.  
“I will never love anyone more than I love him,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cried a little writing the end of this chapter. Sad boi hours.


End file.
